Homestead mailing list

[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

> I'm wondering about starting another winter hardy kale plant or three from
> seed. I'll have to doublecheck my Fedco catalog.

Fedco has it, they call it Sea Kale.  "Winter Hardy Kale" might be misleading 
since most kales are winter hardy.  The kale you describe is unique in that 
it is perennial rather than biennial as most kale is.  Make sure your seed 
source says *perennial* kale.  Even that, alas, isn't what it could be.  The 
perennial kale lasts a few years.  Typically five or six.  We reguarly 
harvest kale 
from the ordinary biennial plants for 18 months or longer and some go the 
full two years before going to seed.

Most cool weather greens (beet tops, chard, turnip tops, kale, arugula, 
mizuna, tsa-tso,  corn salad, etc) can be wintered over if the air 
temperatures 
will stay above 0 degrees F.  I've compared notes with several local 
gardeners 
and we've found that 26 degrees F seems to be the magic number where the 
greens 
have to be covered to prevent any damage.  This winter I've left them 
uncovered except for the nights when it got below 15 degrees F and although 
there was 
some frost damage, there was not much and the plants have recovered.

I even have half a dozen lettuce plants still alive (under cloches made out 
of 2L soda jugs).  They aren't big enough to eat, but if I can manage to 
winter 
them over, they will put out very early in the spring and give us the 
earliest possible lettuce.

The very biggest spinach we've ever had was planted last January in weather 
much like this (also under soda jug cloches).  I had hope of winter spinach 
but 
it grew to about an inch high and stopped.  That is, until around the Ides of 
March when it grew into gigantic 18" leaves.  *Almost* got our fill of fresh 
spinach that year.  Almost.

I'm always on the lookout for ways to winter over more and different greens.