Description
1/32 ounce
21 days baby, 50 days full size maturity
Sweet, tender leaves with excellent frost tolerance.
Voted the best-tasting in our taste tests, with white ribs and blue green leaves that get sweeter in cold weather. Tolerates wet soils and just as hardy as the toughest Russian. Bred by Frank Morton of Wild Garden Seeds and released through the Open Source Seed Initiative. A portion of the sales of this variety is paid to the breeder. This variety is protected by the Open Source Seed Initiative.
Tolerates wet soil. Very cold-hardy. 24-30" tall.
Soil Nutrients and Requirements
Kale and Collards thrive in well drained fertile soil high in organic matter, with pH 6.0- 7.5. They can tolerate slightly alkaline soil. A general guideline is 2-3 lbs of 8-16-16 fertilizer over 100 sq ft of garden area two weeks before planting. If boron is not present in your soils, consider adding 1 Tbs per 100 sq ft.
Seeding Depth
1/4-1/2".
Plant Spacing
Babyleaf- Direct seeding: ~60seeds/ft in 2-4" bands; Full Size 12-18 inches
Row Spacing 18-30 inches for full size
When to Sow
Days to maturity are from direct seeding, subtract 2 weeks if transplanting. Direct sow as soon as soil can be worked or start transplants 4 weeks before planting date. Plant baby leaf every 4-5 weeks for a continual harvest. Sow fall plantings two months before first expected frost for full size and up until frost for baby leaf.
Harvest
Harvest full size leaves when desired. Kale flavor sweetens after light frosts. Kale and collards are both very cold hardy, overwintering in most climates to some degree.
