Any Tips for Growing Black or Curly Kale?

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Any Tips for Growing Black or Curly Kale?
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Mithril

Joined: 22 Jul 2011
Posts: 1755
Location: wessex

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 14 9:26 pm Post subject: Any Tips for Growing Black or Curly Kale?
We are going through a lot of kale, so I'd really like to have a try at growing my own. I have a young Daubington's Kale doing very well, but that's a perennial. I'd love to try growing black kale (cavolo nero), which is our favourite, and curly kale too.

astra

Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 1243
Location: Somerset

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 14 10:46 pm Post subject:

I've grown black kale Nero di Toscana for several years now. I find it very easy to grow with no problems bar keeping the caterpillars off! Leaves can be eaten very young in salads or left to get bigger.

I'm trying a new variety this year from Suttons called Black Magic. It's more tolerant to the cold than the Italian variety so will be interested to see if it's appreciably better if we do get a cold winter. It's a cut and come again veg too.

Mithril

Joined: 22 Jul 2011
Posts: 1755
Location: wessex

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 14 10:55 pm Post subject:

astra wrote:

Thanks astra. Are they fussy re. sun / shade?

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15598

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 14 5:20 am Post subject:

I don't find curly kale difficult to grow, but again, slugs in the early stages can be a problem. I find it tends to get knocked back by cold weather; perhaps the sort I have is Italian too, but then it comes on again in the spring. It starts to throw our flowers then, so you have to be vigilant about getting rid of them to keep it going as long as possible. You can eat the flowering stems too if you catch them early enough.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45515
Location: yes

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 14 7:26 am Post subject:
fleece for pillas and thorough slug control

oldish chris

Joined: 14 Jun 2006
Posts: 4148
Location: Comfortably Wet Southport

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 14 9:06 am Post subject:
We regularly grow "Pentland Brig", survived the winter of 2010/2011. At this time of year you get a bonus of the flowering shoots. On my allotment we had "red curled", the plants are amazingly attractive. When you see the price of the packets of chopped up stuff in the supermarkets, a feeling of smugness descends. In my opinion, good old curly kale must be the easiest of the brassicas to grow.

chickenlady

Joined: 18 Aug 2013
Posts: 413
Location: Dorset

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 14 11:27 am Post subject:

I grow various types of kale too - black kale, curly kale and this year asparagus kale and collard greens. Very easy to grow.

I have some seedlings in the greenhouse, ready to plant out when they're big enough.

Protect from slugs at first - I do use a few supposedly wildlife friendly slug pellets and I also put a thick collar of grit around the base of each stem when first planted. Then I place a couple of canes next to them with something scary attached - strips of plastic shopping bags or similar to flap around - keeps the pigeons off.
We had terrible troubles last year with caterpillars on them - but I made up a solution of water with a little squirt of washing up liquid and a crushed garlic clove.
They didn't like that

Mithril

Joined: 22 Jul 2011
Posts: 1755
Location: wessex

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 14 3:15 pm Post subject:
Thanks all. Slugs will be the main problem I suspect - they love my garden. I was speaking to someone about nematodes. Are they worth forking out on?

astra

Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 1243
Location: Somerset

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 14 3:20 pm Post subject:

Mithril wrote:

astra wrote:

Thanks astra. Are they fussy re. sun / shade?

I wouldn't say fussy exactly they do ok in either but they grow more vigorously in the sun; could be just because they're Italian! it'll be interesting to see if the Black Magic, bred for our climate, are the same.

VM

Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 1748
Location: Lincolnshire

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 14 4:17 pm Post subject:
What others said - curly kale is hardiest and is fine to eat, but I have found Cavolo Nero and Red Russian tastier. Of those three the cav nero, not surprisingly, is least hardy, though keeps well in a polytunnel over quite a lot of the winter. Red Russian is a bit better - and I think particularly nice when young.

VM

Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 1748
Location: Lincolnshire

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 14 4:18 pm Post subject:
And yes, if no tunnel then fleece worthwhile to get cav nero going earlier or prolong it's life at end of season.

Mithril

Joined: 22 Jul 2011
Posts: 1755
Location: wessex

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 14 4:29 pm Post subject:
Great, thanks all. I'll get a some of each hopefully and dot them around as appropriate. Must get some fleece!

Mithril

Joined: 22 Jul 2011
Posts: 1755
Location: wessex

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 14 11:28 am Post subject:
Just ordered Borecole `Nero de Toscana' and `Red Russian'. Not kale, but I was very tempted by the flowering sprouts. A bit pricey though. Are they worth it, or just a novelty?

tai haku

Joined: 17 Apr 2011
Posts: 472

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 14 1:56 pm Post subject:

Mithril wrote:

Not kale, but I was very tempted by the flowering sprouts. A bit pricey though. Are they worth it, or just a novelty?

That depends how much you like the taste of normal sprouts and the value you put on table aesthetics. In other words; they look awesome but taste (in my opinion) exactly the same as the (in my opinion) utterly nauseating taste of brussels.

Mithril

Joined: 22 Jul 2011
Posts: 1755
Location: wessex

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 14 2:02 pm Post subject:
I'm a bit odd - I love Brussel sprouts Can't abide them boiled though - I like them chopped up fine and fried in butter with onions, garlic and herbs. As long as I can fry it, I'll probably like it

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