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  • From: yarrow@sfo.com
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] does perennial kale grow in your area?
  • Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:17:41 -0800

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.




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