Kale Red Russian

• Features: Green, purple veined leaves resemble an oak leaf. Its colour and texture are great for salads and light cooking.
• Maturity: 50-55 days.
• Light: Plant in full sun.
• Soil and water: Prefers loamy, fertile, well drained soil and cooler temperatures. It will do best in soil with a pH between 5.5 to 6.8.
• Spacing: Plant 30cm (12") apart.
• Height: -
• Garden use: In vegetable garden or raised beds.
• Growing tips: Wait until last frost for planting. Add mulch during fall season to reduce weed growth. Harvest as needed. High yielding, cold tolerant. Keep your plants well watered.
• Culinary use: Kale is packed with powerful phytonutrients, minerals and fiber. Excellent raw in salads and used cooked, steamed or boiled, in many dishes and recipes.

Kale is a cold crop vegetable. Along with cool temperatures, kale also enjoys moist soil. Keeping the soil moist will also help keep the leaves sweet and crisp. If you’re having issues with dirt sticking to and rotting your kale leaves, you can put mulch (such as straw or grass or bark chips) around the kale once it is at least six inches high.

To harvest kale: you can cut individual leaves off the plant when the it is approximately 20-25cm (8-10") high, starting with the outside leaves first. If you decide to harvest the whole plant, cut the stock 5cm (2") above the soil and the plant will sprout new leaves in 1 to 2 weeks. Make sure to harvest kale leaves before they become too old and tough. If you can’t eat the kale leaves fast enough and they begin to turn brown, pull the old leaves off and compost them. This frees the plants of insect attractants and unnecessary energy drains. Also pick kale regularly and store it in the fridge for up to a week. If you choose to do so, keep it lightly moist and place it in a bag, but unsealed, in the crisper bin.

Try our delicious kale caesar salad recipe.

Homegrown fresh and tasty!