Kale- Red Russian (Heirloom)
Brassica napus var pabularia
Red Russian kale, like other kales, is a cool season biennial crop, typically grown as an annual.
This mild, sweet, and tender kale is not typically carried in grocery stores, but luckily you can easily grow your own! It's lighter green leaves, with their ornate ruffled edges and pinkish/red veins make a gorgeous addition to the FL winter garden.
Kale contains tons of beta-carotene and vitamin K! It's a good source of vitamin C, calcium and potassium. It's sturdy leaves make it perfect for adding to stir-fries and soups.
One of my favorite ways to plant kale, is to draw a line in the soil, at proper planting depth (1/2"), and sprinkle the seeds in about 1/8 to 1/4 inch apart, the entire row. As the plants grow, and begin to crowd each other, I begin to thin by harvesting out entire plants, about every other one. Baby kale plants, taste amazing. I will continue to take out every other plant or two, about every week, until I reach proper plant spacing. At that time, I begin to harvest the biggest leaves off the remaining plants, until the season is over.
| Days to germination |
3-10 days |
| Days to maturity |
45-60 days |
| Life cycle |
biennial |
| Plant time/Harvest |
Plant seeds outdoors any time if night temperatures are 75 or lower. Harvest late fall through early summer |
| Spacing |
15-24 in. |
| Sun |
full sun or part shade |
| Soil temperature |
45-85 degrees F. |
| Optimum soil P.H |
6.0-7.5 |
| Height |
18-30 in. |
