Kale - Your new best friend

Yes. Kale. YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE. No jokes.

Let me tell you why.

1. Its super good for you

2. Its easy to grow

3. Its yummy

Are you sold?!

Well let me tell you a bit more about kale, as you will have a long and happy relationship with this beautiful plant if you listen to what I have to say!

So what is Kale?!

Photo from Walmart.com

I like to think of Kale as a combination of broccoli, swiss chard (silver beet), and spinach! It is actually from the same plant family as broccoli and brussels sprouts! And Kale... wait for it... IS ONE OF THE HEALTHIEST VEGETABLES IN THE WORLD! AHHH!!

And in easy to understand terms, Kale has a lot of fibre in it (good thing), is low in calories (good thing), high levels of Vitamin A, C and K (very good things which keep you healthy!), and kale helps to lower cholesterol levels and keep your heart healthy! This is the super plant!

So how do you grow the "Queen of Greens"?!

So just like with all plants, get your seeds and plant them in some really good quality soil. However, with kale, you want to plant it when the weather is cooler, although you can plant kale all year round, so long as it doesn't get too much hot sun. So where ever you plant your seedlings (if in summer), make sure its a place that gets just morning sun, as this tends to be cooler. But generally, planting the seeds in spring is ideal!

6 weeks after planting the seeds, transfer them to where you want to plant them. When planting, ensure that there is around 2 feet, or 60 cm spacing between the plants, as these beauties can grow large! And like all plants, make sure that they are watered adequately. Also using an organic plant food is a good idea, as this helps to get all the right nutrients to the plant so that it grows really well. As it is a leafy plant and you eat the leaves, putting the organic plant food just at the base of the plant, rather than on the leaves is a good idea, and still will be just as effective, if not more.

I personally, am growing my kale in my kitchen garden, as it does grow well in pots as well! This is good for me, and I can move the pots to get out of the sun! And its easy for me to harvest it!

BONUS: Because this plant does best in cooler temperatures, if it frosts while the plant is at least 6 weeks old, the frost is actually beneficial for the plant, as it makes the leaves a bit sweeter! 

Outer leaves can be harvested as you go, so if you need a few kale leaves, just pull a few off! The great thing about kale is that it has many uses, and I will definitely be posting about these in the future. But as a general rule, the outer leaves, which are older, are better for cooking, and the small tender inner leaves, are perfect for salads.

So please give kale a try! You will love it!