Kale

How to Grow Kale from Seed

March 19, 2023 1 Comment

Kale is an extremely popular vegetable. It is easy to grow, and there are hundreds of ways eat this tasty leafy veggie. Keep reading to learn how you can grow Kale in your home garden

This blog post may contain affiliate links and if you make a purchase you will be helping me continue my love and passion for gardening.

Before you begin you will need to source out Kale seeds. There are so many retailers that will have many types of kale seeds in stores starting in January and sometimes earlier. If you want more variety than what’s in store I suggest ordering online. Here are some of my favorite places to shop for seeds online.

Now that you’ve got your Kale seeds it’s time to decide when and how you want to plant them. The easiest way to grow kale from seed is to plant them directly in the garden after your first frost date. Kale can tolerate a light frost so you may be able to get away with planting it outside a week or two before your last frost date if you want to harvest sooner! You will follow the depth requirements on the seed packet then once planted, water them in and let nature do the rest! Kidding, well not entirely. You will need to keep watch for birds and other critters that would love to dig up and eat your seeds / seedlings.

Inside or Out?

gardener planting seeds on a tray of soil

Outside

Whether you grow your Kale seeds inside or out is up to you. Both options are wonderful depending on your situation. Starting your Kale seeds outside will be the easiest by far but you will have to deal with pest pressure much sooner.

Follow the planting guide on the seed packet for planting outside in ground. You will likely need to plant your seeds about 2 inches apart and and inch or less down in the soil.

If you also love Zinnias you can learn how to grow them here!

Inside

To grow indoors you are going to need patience and space. Here’s what you need to get your Kale started.

Seed Starting Supplies

You can get high tech/ expensive with seed starting if you want, but you can totally do it low cost. All you need is what’s listed above. Using seed starting mix when starting seeds indoors is important because seed starting soil is sterile. Potting soil can have bacteria that can aid in seedling death called damping off. So you need to keep clean tools, pots and soil for the best germination rates.

How to grow Kale From Seed

Fill your pots with seed starting mix then depending on the size of your pots plant your seeds 1/8 – 1/2 inch down, cover with soil and water them. Be prepared to keep your seed mix consistently moist. Dry soil can be the death of young seedlings

If you don’t have strong window light or overhead grow lights you will get leggy (stretched) seedlings. While you can grow your seeds in a window sill but I highly recommend you get a grow light or two.

Aside from overhead lighting you will want to keep your seedlings in a warm area of your home. Kale seeds don’t need to much heat to germinate so anywhere in your home will probably be fine.

Kale Sprouts

Once your Kale seeds sprout you will want to make sure to keep the soil moist, light consistent and the space warm. Seedlings need at least 13 hours of daylight. This is made easier by the use of artificial lights. You can leave your grow lights on for at max 16 hours a day to keep your seedlings happy.

When you begin seeing roots growing from the bottom of your pots it’s time to repot your plants. If your outdoor temps are warm enough ( Above 46 degrees at night) you can transition your seedlings into your garden.

To learn how to transition your seeds I recommend you read this post!

If it’s not yet time to plant your seedlings outside then continue with regular care until the weather is right. You may have to repot your seedlings several times before transitioning them out into the garden.

green kale
vegetables in close up photography

Planting Outside

Once you’ve transitioned your seedlings it’s time to plant. You can plant your seedlings in containers, raised beds or in ground. When you plant be sure to use an organic fertilizer to feed your plant. Annuals grow quite fast and are very heavy feeders so make sure to provide them with fertilizer all season long.

Growing Kale from seed is such a great way to have healthy and delicious greens all spring, summer and fall what’s amazing is that if you leave your plants in all season they will flower and you can collect seeds from your own plants to grow from your own stock year after year!

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

Frost Tolerant Vegetables to Grow early Spring

January 31, 2022 Leave a Comment

Spring is just around the corner and you may be itching to get some seeds started. There’s not much that will be safe in the garden with the on and off frosty temperatures early spring. I’ve got a few vegetable that are frost tolerant and great to grow early spring. These frost tolerant vegetables can handle wind chills below 28° F and heavy frost. Some even becoming tastier after a frost.

frost tolerant vegetables
carrots — Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.com

This blog post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission to fund my plant habit if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra, and you’ll keep me in the garden. It’s a win for everyone, really.

Turnips

Turnips are a root vegetable with a spicy raw taste and an earthy cooked flavor. They grow best is spring and fall and can handle temps as cold as 26°.

Spinach

A delishly healthy leafy green that can carry on through cold temps like a champ. I does so well it can handle temps down to 20°F, making it a perfect cold tolerant vegetable for the early spring garden

Garlic

Garlic is extremely cold tolerant and is a great vegetable to add to the garden in late fall for a summer harvest. You can even start your garlic bulbs in late winter for a summer harvest but note that your bulbs will be smaller at harvest.

Rutabaga

The Rutabaga is a frost tolerant plant being able to survive a hard frost. While the foliage will be lost to the cold but the root can still be harvested.

Broccoli

A favorite vegetable of many Broccoli is a frost tolerant crop. Broccoli can be planted a few weeks before the first frost free date. Growing Broccoli in temps as low as 28° F should be ok for Broccoli and you should definitely give it a grow.

Pro Tip: Using a row cover, Cloche or cold frame can extend your garden season well into winter.

Carrots

Carrots are great frost tolerant vegetables to grow in early spring. They can handle temperatures as low as 15° F. Carrot seeds are so tiny you will want to start them directly in ground.

Kale

Kale is one of my favorite vegetable to eat after potatoes. What’s great is that Kale can handle temperatures as low as 10°F! That’s so exciting for those of us in cold zones like mine.

Cabbage

Cabbage make a great plant to grow in early spring. It can hold its own when temperatures drop as low as 20°F

Brussel Sprouts

Another favorite of mine that is also a frost tolerant vegetable to an extent. It grows best in cool weather and can handle a hard frost but not multiple. Its best to harvest Brussel Sprouts before or right after a hard frost.

Kohlrabi

This Vegetable grows best in cooler weather and like the Brussel Sprout will not handle multiple hard frost like some other vegetables. It is still worth it to grow in mid to late spring.

What are some of your favorite winter crops to grow?

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

Last Week on the Homestead

July 27, 2021 Leave a Comment

Hey Gardeners!

Last week was a hot one! Not only hot but humid as well. We survived by only going outside when needed. I watered either early in the mornings or late in the day. I had several plants show signs of burn and many wilted throughout the day even though I watered them early in the morning. On a milder day I was able to do some weed pulling and planting in the driveway beds. I have severely neglected those beds along with the other beds in the front of the house. We spend so much time in the back garden that I often forget I have things that need attention out front haha.