Ask a Master Gardener: Kale a boost to the garden and your health

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. I also hope you did not leave it up to Santa to take care of your garden wish list. I don't think he knows much about gardening, coming from the North Pole.

Speaking of lists, here is something that should be on your garden list: kale. This hardy vegetable seems to be a love it or hate it kind of green. Some, like me, see the curly leaves and think of raw salads and hearty bean soups. Others may not share quite the same enthusiasm, but it is very healthy for you.

A couple of years ago, kale enjoyed quite a boom in popularity. I will have to admit, before kale became so popular, I had grown only the standard curly leaf type just like my dad and his before him. With its fame came more discussions, and I was "enlightened" to the variety of kale available. Some are not as fibrous, as in, not as chewy.

Kale is a member of the cabbage family, which accounts for its strong flavor and hardiness. It grows in a bunch with the leaves fanning out from a central stem and with a rib running down the middle of each leaf. Those edible leaves vary in color from light green to nearly purple depending on the variety, and they are universally coarse, thick and fairly tough.

Curly leafed and dinosaur kale are probably the two most common kinds found in our area. Curly leafed kale has bright green leaves that can be curled so tight it can be hard to chop them. Curly kale can have a strong flavor and even turn bitter at times.

Dinosaur kale, so named because its leaves resemble dinosaur skin, is also known as cavolo nero, black kale and Tuscan kale as well as probably a few names I have not heard of. This kale has longer spear-like leaves with a bumpy appearance and a dark green color.

Another kind of kale, Russian Red, has been making an appearance in home gardens and has become one of my favorites. It seems to resist the bitter flavor that plaques other kales in hot weather, although it is still better during cooler temperatures. This kale has flat, fringed leaves that look somewhat like oak leaves and are sweet and mild but with just a touch of heat.

Because Mid-Missouri summers heat up fast, it is a good idea to start kale seeds indoors in mid to late February. This will lengthen the harvesting period of the sweet leaves before they start taking on the stronger flavor cause by hotter weather. Set plants out in early April after you have "hardened them off." Kale can withstand quite cold temperatures -- young plants all the way down to 25 degrees and older plants even down to 20 degrees.

If you are planting seeds directly in the garden, plant them late March to early April. There are some dwarf varieties that work well in containers if you do not have room in the garden.

Keep kale well watered especially during the heat of the summer. Sometimes, when the weather is hot and kale is not as tasty, you might have a tendency to forget about it. But if you keep it going through the summer, it will revive when cooler weather arrives and be even better after the first frost.

Harvest kale leaves when they are about the size of your hand. Harvest the outer leaves and be careful not to cut the center of the plant as that is where it grows from. If it is growing faster than you can use it and the leaves get too big, they can become a little on the tough side. I like to cut the larger leaves off and lay them at the base of the plant for a natural mulch. This helps the plant concentrate on new and smaller leaves rather than the energy going to the big leaves.

I hope you will consider kale in your garden plan this year and try a few different varieties. I am sure you will find one you like. If not, you probably should grow it and eat it anyway because its good for you!

Peter Sutter is a life-long gardening enthusiast and a participant in the MU Extension's Master Gardener program. Gardening questions can be sent to [email protected].