Kale - 'kalettes'.

Move over kale - we're all eating 'kalettes' now - Telegraph

A combination of kale and Brussels sprouts, "kalettes" are the latest vegetable.
Sweet and nutty in flavour, the vegetable looks like a mini cabbage with delicate, kale-like leaves.
Fans claim it is more versatile and quicker to cook than either of its parents, which tend to be boiled, steamed, or hidden in a smoothie.
Kalettes, however, can be sautéed, roasted, grilled, microwaved and even eaten raw.

Kale - iron-rich vegetable.

Hail the kale! This iron-rich vegetable is easy to grow and produces delicious new leaves for months | Daily Mail Online
MONTY'S PLANT:
- cholesterol-lowering qualities and plenty of iron, fibre, vitamin K and antioxidants.
- 'Red kale, such as the plum-coloured 'Redbor' or 'Red Russian', which has grey-green foliage with deep purple stems, is very handsome and worth growing for its decorative value alone.
I make my first sowing at the beginning of February, under cover, either sowing one seed per module or scattering them into seed trays and pricking them out when they develop a 'true' leaf. I then plant out the seedlings, 15cm-23cm (6in-9in) apart, around Easter.
I then thin these plants to allow a few to grow larger, and make another sowing in March which will be planted outside in May and stay in the ground for nearly a year.

How to grow kale.

How to grow kale
'Cavola Nero' or Black Tuscan kale (from Seeds of Italy)

Rather like a miniature palm in structure with a radiating ruff of dark-green, linear leaves, its common name (palm cabbage) is apt.
The mildly flavoured leaves are delicious eaten steamed or boiled with butter and it can be picked earlier than others - often in early autumn.
Like all brassicas the leaves taste better after a frost.
How to grow kale
All brassicas want to grow for you but kale, like all the others, prefer fertile, well-drained soil.
Seeds can be sown in drills, in modules or in trays in spring - usually late March.
I prefer modules because they make individual plants which are easy to handle and quick to grow away.
Plant out the young plants by mid summer (50 cm/ 20 in apart in rows 75 cm/ 30 in apart) and they should soon become statuesque.
Net them as soon as you’ve planted them to keep away cabbage white and small white butterflies - using 4 ft high canes topped with small pots to support the small gauge netting.
If their leaves touch the net the butterflies still lay their eggs - so aim for a tantalising gap.
If your allotment has heavy soil build a simple raised bed by mounding up the soil to a foot high, or nine inches (20 -30 cm).

Kale.

Growing your own: Kale | Life and style | The Guardian: "Winterbor and Redbor are reliable curly kale growers (both F1 hybrids). The Redbor is a particularly attractive, rich-red variety"


Sow: April to June 

Plant: June to August 

Harvest: September to May
This tough old brassica can withstand extreme temperatures and often succeeds where other cabbage-patch kids fail.
Recommended varieties: "Winterbor and Redbor are reliable curly kale growers (both F1 hybrids). The Redbor is a particularly attractive, rich-red variety," says Joy Larkcom.
Sowing and planting: Sow in modules from mid- to late spring. Seedlings will appear after 7-12 days. Once established (6-8 weeks after sowing) transplant to their final position, spacing them in rows 45cm apart. Water plants thoroughly before moving and "puddle-in" to their final position.
Cultivation: Look after young plants by watering during dry patches and keep weeded. Tread around the base of the stem every so often to prevent the larger varieties swaying in the breeze. Remove yellowing leaves, "earth up" the stems and stake tall varieties if exposed (kale can handle exposed, slightly shady plots).
Pests and diseases: Yet another reason to grow kale - it's rarely bothered by the dreaded banes of the brassica family.
Harvesting: Kale is a frost-hardy cut-and-come-again plant. Young leaves can be picked from autumn to mid-spring. Remove leaves with a sharp knife as required (mature or yellowing leaves won't have the same bite). Once the crown has been stripped, the plant will grow side shoots which you can harvest between February and May. When flower buds form and stems turn coarse, stop picking.
Storage: Spring leaves can be frozen, but cut-and-come-again cropping will provide you with fresher leaves.
Extending the season: Dwarf varieties can be harvested 14 weeks after sowing and allow you to cram more crop into your patch. Sow in situ in early summer in rows 18cm apart. Harvest after they reach 15cm. Dwarf varieties also make great cut-and-come-again crops. Sow in situ and harvest when the plant is about 5cm high.
Growing without a veg plot: Dwarf varieties are perfect - try Showbor and Dwarf Green Curled.

Kale - Companion:
beets, celery, cucumbers, dill, garlic, hyssop, lettuce, mint, nasturtium, onions, potatoes, rosemary, sage, spinach, swiss chard

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