Kale

[Lottie Babe]

Hi

When do I start harvesting Kale? This is the first time I have grown it and my plants are about 12" high and very healthy. To me it looks ready to pick, although most say you dont start picking until autumn. I think I sowed the seed too early, hence they were transplated early.

[rustylady]

Start picking as soon as you want to eat some. Take a couple of leaves from each plant and enjoy.

[Bren In Pots]

I do the same as RL just a leaf or two from each plant, by the looks of my Kale I'll be harvesting my first on Sunday.

[lukens]

I depends what you want to use it for, too. I'm growing some as cut-and-come-again salad leaves, and are growing others for more mature leaves to use as cooked greens.

[Alison]

As above, pick it when it looks ready - personally I've only just planted mine out as I want it for the winter but that's my choice.

[arpoet]

As above mine is far too advanced and i have had to pinch out the flower heads so going to have a boiling on sunday.
Roger

[PMW]

Funnliy enough I was wondering exactly the same thing until lunchtime today when I happened to be at home so picked a few leaves to fry with some pancetta for lunch.

I only planted them out as small seedlings on 1st July intending to use them over autumn/winter. I was very surprised at how quickly they have grown since transplanting from small pots so I guess they must enjoy the rain. Every day I take a look they seem to get noticably bigger so I might have to thin out a couple of plants soon.

[kentishgal]

Now Im worried... I planted mine out at what should of been the correct time for winter but they are really big now! If you start eating them now will they last through the winter??
(so far they have only lost a couple of leaf corners as I quite like eating the big leaves raw when Im pottering round the garden!LOL)

[Bren In Pots]

I sow my Black kale the first week in March I find it overwinters fine and we're still eating it up until May.
Its my favourite kind of greens.

[arpoet]

Its not too late to sow a few more... i did some last July and although they were small and not ready until Feb they filled a winter need.
Althought I do have half a dozen kale plants in pots in the greenhouse along with some savoy plats that i always keep back for filling in the gaps.
Roger

[Farmer_Gyles]

i have curly green kale which i'm saving for autumn - plants are 8in high at the moment - although we could pick some leaves now, we prefer to have lettuce and various other "normal" salad leaves in the summer

i sowed some black kale (tuscany) last week - last time i grew it, leaves were massive - we'll be using this through winter into spring

[SlugLobber]

I pick the odd leaf from each plant. The last time I grew Kale, I managed to keep it going for most of the winter! It was a phenomenal plant (and this year's Kale is from the same seed batch, so fingers crossed!).