Kale 101: A No-Fuss Guide to Growing Tough, Nutritious Greens

I didn’t know kale was trendy until someone told me it was. By that point, I’d already been eating it for years—chopped into stews, tossed into cast iron with garlic, or pulled straight from the garden on a cold October morning.

Grandma didn’t call it a superfood. She just called it supper.

Kale’s not fussy, not flashy. And that’s exactly why I still plant it every season. If you’re new to growing greens or looking to add one that earns its keep, kale is where you start.

Pick Your Type: Choosing the Right Kale for Your Kitchen & Climate

There’s more than one kind of kale, and your choice will affect how it tastes, how it cooks, and how it stands up to weather. I like to plant a mix—some for tenderness, some for toughness.

• Curly Kale – That ruffled grocery store look. Crisp, peppery, and great in soups or kale chips.

• Lacinato (Dino) Kale – Long, bumpy leaves with a deeper, slightly nutty flavor. Stands up well to heat and sautés.

• Red Russian Kale – Flat leaves with purple veins. Grows fast, tastes mild, and prefers cooler temps.

Grandma’s Tip: “Grow one for the pot, one for the plate, and one for the frost.” Translation: variety builds resilience.

When to Plant: Spring, Fall, and Overwintering Kale

Kale loves the shoulder seasons. It’s a cool-weather crop, and it even gets sweeter after a touch of frost.

Spring Planting

• Start seeds indoors 4–6 weeks before your last frost date.

• Transplant after the danger of hard frost has passed.

Fall Planting

• Direct seed or transplant 8–10 weeks before your first expected frost.

• Cool nights bring out a rich flavor and help reduce pests.

Overwintering

• In Zones 7–9, kale can often survive the winter with:

  • Row cover

  • Straw mulch

  • A low hoop tunnel

Some of my strongest spring greens are overwintered Lacinato that got blanketed and left alone.

Soil, Spacing & Bed Prep: Give Kale Room to Breathe

Kale doesn’t need perfect soil—but it thrives in good soil.

• Well-drained, loose soil enriched with compost

• A slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0–7.0 is just fine)

• 18–24 inches between plants to allow airflow and prevent disease

Avoid planting kale where cabbage, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts grew last year to keep soil-borne diseases at bay.

Watering and Feeding: Keep It Moist, Not Soaked

Kale wants moisture but not soggy feet.

• Water regularly—1 to 1.5 inches per week

• Mulch helps retain moisture and suppress weeds

• Feed every few weeks with:

  • Compost

  • Fish emulsion

  • Liquid kelp

Pale leaves? Slow growth? That’s your plant asking for nitrogen. Compost solves most of it.

Pest & Disease Prevention: Protect What You Planted

Even tough plants like kale have enemies. Here are the most common—and how to stop them without reaching for chemicals:

PestSignsSolutionCabbage wormsHoles in leaves, green droppingsRow cover, hand-pick, BT sprayAphidsClusters of tiny bugs on stems/leavesBlast with hose, neem oilFlea beetlesTiny holes all overInterplant with dill, use sticky trapsWhitefliesClouds of white when disturbedYellow sticky cards, insecticidal soap

Keep beds clean, rotate crops, and attract beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings.

Companion Planting: Friends and Foes in the Garden

Kale thrives with good neighbors.

Plant near:

• Onions

• Beets

• Chamomile

• Dill

• Celery

Avoid planting near:

• Other brassicas in the same spot year after year

• Tomatoes or strawberries, which prefer different conditions

Mixed plantings help confuse pests and increase yields across the board.

Seed Starting vs. Transplants

You’ve got options depending on your timeline and zone.

Seed Starting:

• Indoors: 6 weeks before your last frost

• Use a heat mat and strong light

• Harden off for 7–10 days before transplanting

Transplants:

• Buy healthy starts with dark green leaves

• Avoid leggy or root-bound seedlings

Direct Seeding:

• Great for fall

• Thin to strongest plants once sprouted

I like to start early kale indoors, then seed another patch direct in early August.

Harvesting Right: Cut to Keep It Growing

Here’s where most folks go wrong—they chop the crown.

Don’t. Ever.

Instead:

1. Harvest from the bottom up

2. Only remove outer, mature leaves

3. Leave the center rosette intact—that’s where new leaves grow

As long as the crown is happy, your kale will keep producing for weeks—sometimes months.

Storing & Preserving Your Kale

You’ll have more than you can eat fresh. That’s a good problem.

Storing Fresh:

• Rinse and dry

• Wrap in a towel

• Store in an airtight container in the fridge
  → Good for 5–7 days

Freezing:

• Blanch leaves for 2 minutes

• Drain, dry, and vacuum seal or use freezer bags
  → Perfect for soups, stews, and smoothies

Drying:

• Dehydrate for kale chips or powder

• Bake at low temp for crispy snacks

Nothing says “winter prep” like a freezer packed with dark leafy greens.

Grandma’s Kale Wisdom

“You don’t need a perfect garden, just a useful one.”

That stuck with me. Grandma didn’t fuss with spacing or pH. She just grew food that kept her fed and didn’t fail when the weather turned. Kale was a staple—and it still is here.

One plant can give you weeks of meals. And it only takes a few square feet.

Final Thoughts: The Green That Grows With You

Kale isn’t fancy. It won’t wow your neighbors. But it grows when other crops give up—and in a world that’s always shifting, that kind of resilience is worth planting.

Start small. Pick a type. Build your confidence. Then expand next season.

And when that first frost hits, and you’re still pulling greens from the bed while others are scraping frost off windshields, you’ll understand why this tough little plant has earned its place at The Grounded Homestead.