Kale

Kale is the reliable crop for anyone whose season is short or whose balcony is half-shaded. It tolerates frost down to the low 20s, it does not need full sun, and it keeps producing leaves for months if you harvest from the outside in. Its only real weakness is insects, and that is solvable with a physical barrier rather than chemicals.

How to grow it

• Start indoors or direct sow three weeks before last frost — kale does not need warm soil.
• Firm the soil around the transplant. Loose soil around brassica roots produces floppy plants.
• Use a row cover or fine mesh over the pot from day one. It stops cabbage worms without spraying anything.
• Feed once at transplant and again mid-season. Kale is a moderate feeder.
• In zone 7 and warmer, grow it as a fall and winter crop — it is sweeter after frost.

What goes wrong

• Cabbage white caterpillars: holes everywhere. Row cover is the only fix that actually works.
• Aphids in the growing point: a strong water spray, repeated every three days, controls them.
• Clubroot in reused soil: stunted plants with swollen roots. Never reuse brassica soil for brassicas.

Harvesting

Begin taking outer leaves at 55 days; the plant keeps a growing rosette and can be harvested into winter.

• Pick the oldest, lowest leaves first and leave at least six leaves on the plant.
• Strip the leaf blade off the tough central stem before cooking.
• Massage leaves with oil and salt before roasting — it turns tough kale tender.

Varieties that work in pots

Lacinato (Dinosaur) · Red Russian · Winterbor · Nero di Toscana

Seed is cheap; the pot and the mix are where the money goes. Links to search results on Amazon are affiliate links — see our disclosure.