Assorted Kale !!

[Nicos]

Dwarf curly Kale here too...still picking it! In fact I picked some this very afternoon for supper tonight!

Bunnies and hens adore the yellow/grottyish bits/stems!

[horticultural_hobbit]

just rummaged in the seed stashers. Knew I had some borecole nero di toscana, and one that came free with the GYO mag. And there's a packet of charity Kale that has been loitering in the kitchen.

[eirish]

I've got Black Tuscan and Red Russian. Just starting to sprout, in fact.

[mothhawk]

Going to sow Black Tuscan and Madeley tomorrow, that's all I have room for. I love it, and anyone who has only tried the big old leaves you get ready chopped at the supermarket doesn't know what they are missing. The last of my Tuscan sprouted flower buds in the leaf axils last month, so I had kale "sprouting broccoli", before finally uprooting the stalks.

[KittyColdNose]

Eee, I thought I was flash growing 4 types.

I can eat kale till it comes out of my ears VC... Not jealous. Almost but not quite.

[Snadger]

You aint growing mine and the chooks favourite.............. Thousand Headed!

Just sowed a sprinkle in a pot last week.

A very hardy and prodigeous open leaved kale that lives up to its name and is a huge cropper giving large cabbage like leafs in abundance!

[veggiechicken]

You tease, Snadge!!
I think 1000 headed is the same as Cottager's kale but its really hard to be certain. There seem to be lots of names for some of the kales and I can't find a definitive list ......yet!!
(that's bound to get someone Goggling )

[bario1]

Yes kale is my number one priority on the allotment, i absolutely love it, especially Cavolo Nero! I'm trying a couple of others, Pentland Brig and Darkibor F1. I was going to hold off sowing just yet, Charles Dowding recommends sowing in June - i'll sow earlier if i can though... should i be starting some off now?

[jayjaybee]

I too love kale VC but not quite to 13 varieties worth. Have grown cavalo nero and dwarf curly. Do you have any idea which are the shorter varieties, knowing that would make it easier to net againt the pigeons and bugs.

[veggiechicken]

I'm going to hold my hands up now and say that I've only grown Nero di Toscana before so I'm definitely not an expert!! I want to grow them because you can use them a leaf at a time and I actually want to grow the tall ones more than the dwarfing ones. It's further for the slugs and snails to climb to the top and I want to grow them under trees, so I'm hoping that the sturdier ones will be more robust in the shade. Once the trees lose their leaves in autumn, the kale will have more light to grow on during winter.
That's my theory anyway - so I want to grow as many varieties as I can to see which ones cope best. Purely experimental at the moment!!

[SarzWix]

The East Friesian Palm Kale isn't showing as out of stock on Real Seeds VC? Perhaps they got some more in?

ETA: I take it back, it does when you add it to basket

[veggiechicken]

It is when you try to add it to your basket, Sarz Fooled me too!

SNAP!!

[Snadger]

I've grown loads of different kales and collards in the past. Take it from me, its fluffy bunny hard to protect an eight foot high channel island kale from pigeons! They sit in the middle of the top (like a birds nest)and peck all around them! Channel island kale is suprisingly prolific and tasy if you can save any though! You sometimes get a second chance as it keeps growing for a couple of years.
I prefer the kale shoots to eat which are reminicent to PSB and I think, not quite as tough or stong as the leaves?

[veggiechicken]

I'll have to knit hats for the kale to keep those pigeons away - there are rather a lot of the waddling blighters here
At worst, I'll have some walking sticks

[Snadger]

I'll have to knit hats for the kale to keep those pigeons away - there are rather a lot of the waddling blighters here
At worst, I'll have some walking sticks

You'll need step ladders to fit the hats.
I didn't even get a walking stick, just something resembling Galdafs staff about 2 inches in diameter and six foot long!