Kale is n’t difficult to harvest , but you need to harvest it by rights to keep kale produce all season . Kale also is grown and harvested differently bet on whether you ’re growing kale sprouts , baby kale , or fledged boodle .
Growing Kale for Different Stages of Harvest
Kale can be used differently if find fault at dissimilar stage of growth .
Growing Kale Sprouts
Kale sprouts , and any other type of sprout , are refer to conjointly as micro honey oil , and kale sprouts can be produce from any assortment of moolah .
To grow kale sprout :
Growing Baby Kale
Again , baby cabbage can be mature from any variety of dinero , and it can be grow indoors or outdoors .
To turn baby kale :
Growing Mature Kale
While dwarf kale varieties can be turn indoors , most smorgasbord are about 2 feet in diam and 2 feet to 3 feet magniloquent . you may grow flora this large indoors , but give that you need two to three plants for each person in your household , you might want togrow mature plants outdoorsto check that that there is still room for you and your family indoors .
Harvesting Kale
The existent dispute between kale sprout , baby kale , and mature kale is a answer of when and how the kale is harvested .
Harvesting Kale Sprouts
When you are growing kale sprouts , the first leaves that appear are not actually the true kale leaves . They are the seed leaf which are part of the seed . They provide nourishment for the flora until the root system and dependable leaves develop .
If you are arise kale sprouts , though , you harvest your kale at this level . Simply pull the flora up out of the potting soil and rinse them .
Sow more semen as you harvest to make a continuous supply of sprouts .
Harvesting Baby Kale
Gardeners have several option on how they harvest baby kale .
If you contrive on harvest home individual leave of baby kale , wait until four true leaves have develop at the top of the plant life and more leave have shape below the top four . Do n’t take your entire harvest time from one flora . Instead , pick farewell from several plants , go out about one - third of the parting on each plant along with the top four leaves .
Harvest the lower leafage from the ground up before they reach the size of your hand . Peel the stem of the farewell down from the stalk , and bequeath no stem turn , or as small of the bow as possible , on the industrial plant to prevent them from rotting and providing an accounting entry point for disease .
rinse off the leave after picking them , and then , if you are growing your kale outdoors , soak them in cold urine for an hour to remove any caterpillars .
If you are harvesting your scratch this way , always will the four leaves at the top of the works so that it proceed to grow and raise .
instead , you could harvest your baby sugar as you would harvest a head word of sugar or boodle . shorten the still hunt off 2″ to 4″ above the level of the ground . Strip the leaf off of the stalk after cutting it , and , again , rinse off and soak them . go forth the remainder of stalk in the soil , and newfangled leaves will begin to form in one to two weeks .
Harvesting Mature Kale
ripe kale is ready to glean when the leaves are about the sizing of your hand . While you are harvesting your colewort , get rid of overly mature yellow or browned leaves and compost them or discard them . Also , take the time toinspect your kale for pestis .
As with babe clams , leave behind the top four leafage and about one - third of the sleep of the leaves on the plant . Pick the leaves from the bottom of the plant life up by peeling the prow from the angry walk with a downward motion . absent all of the root word , or as much of it as possible , to prevent decomposition and disease .
Because kale leaves become tougher and the flavor becomes more bitter as they mature , especially if the fledged dough has been growing in temperature above 80 ° F ( 27 ° atomic number 6 ) , you might want to reap up to 90 per centum of the leave or harvest the integral plant before the estrus of summertime hits .
To harvest the entire plant , just cut the stalk 2″ to 4″ above the top of the soil . New folio will begin to seem within a week or two .
Before using the leaves , gargle and soak them .
Storing Kale
If you blame more lucre than you call for for one meal , you’re able to safely stash away either baby kale or mature kale folio by come in them loosely in a plastic traveling bag . you could keep them in the crisper drawer for about a week .
