permaculture

[yarrow@sfo.com]

Dino and russian red are "annual" varieties, but I've often let mine 
grow for 2-3 years. After the first year, the stems get huge and 
branch a lot, the leaves get smaller, and I can harvest a small 
handful of leaves perfect for adding to salads or soups as is. The 
only downside is that the snails like them, too. When they flower in 
the spring, I eat the "kalini" (like broccolini) buds. I still have 
one dino going into its third or fourth year. The red russians need 
more maintenance as the plants go into year 2-3, so I compost them 
when they get ratty, and since they reseed, I rarely need to replant 
them.

The perennial kale I was wondering about is typically 6-7 ft. high. 
The cuttings I planted in the fall are now 4 ft. high with huge 
leaves. It likes to sprawl if it's not confined to a trellis or tied 
to a fence. Mine have not gone to seed in the 3-5 years or so I've 
had them. The leaves are sweeter than any of the annual  kales 
(dino/tuscan/black, red russian, white russian, siberian, curly, 
peacock) I've grown and have a more substantial texture that holds up 
when they're cooked. I've given away dozens of cuttings at plant 
exchanges and to anyone who happens by and comments on the plants, 
and I've even mailed some.

I have photos I can send offlist to anyone who's not familiar with 
perennial kale.


At 2:42 PM -0700 8/13/09, Thomas Allen wrote:
> Throughout last winter I ate from two varieties: Dinosaur kale and
> Russian red kale. It was the coldest Seattle winter in 19 years;
> thirteen degrees F (about -10 C )on several mornings with snow in
> between. The snow broke off branches from the Russian but it was
> otherwise OK. The dinosaur kale wasn't even fazed. As far as it and
> the collards were concerned it might as well have been raining. The
> dinosaur kale was the last to get bitter in the spring. It's an all
> around great plant: tasty once it freezes, nice to look at, hardy as
> can be. I don't know about perennial, I've never let it grow beyond
> second year seed stage.
>
> On Aug 13, 2009, at 7:07 AM, Keith D Johnson wrote:
>
> >  I brought cuttings with me from Ca to NC but it croaked there. Now
> >  I'm in So IN and would like to try it in my greenhouse.
> >
> > >  On Tue, Aug 11, 2009 at 12:14 PM, <yarrow@sfo.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > >  A friend in Portland, Oregon, was wondering if perennial kale would
> > > >  grow there. I was also wondering how far its range extends.