Why kale?
Kale is a green, leafy vegetable in the Brassica or cabbage family. Most preparations of kale are similar to collards. In my experience, kale is easy to grow and withstands extremes of soil moisture and air temperatures. It is one of the last vegetables to succumb to freezing weather when it is unprotected and is a robust addition to unheated low tunnels for winter and early spring harvests. Kale in its seedling stage is an excellent green to add to salads and keeps well in a salad mix when properly harvested and stored.
My favorite varieties of kale include 'Red Russian', 'Beedy's Camden', and 'Nero di Tuscano'. All three varieties sailed through the polar vortex winter of 2014 in an unheated low tunnel. I had seeded very heavily for salad greens and braising mixes at the early spring harvest timing. The spring of 2014 harvest was two weeks late compared to 2012 and 2013. After the spring harvests, I removed the 'Nero di Tuscano', for whatever reason, it was not as vigorous. I thinned the 'Red Russian' and 'Beedy's Camden' and harvests continued through the summer and until a killing frost in November. Many suppliers offer 'Red Russian' and 'Nero di Tuscano' but I have only found 'Beedy's Camden' from Fedco Seeds.
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