Why Grow Red Russian Kale?
Beautiful & Sweet Red Russian Kale is a classic heirloom variety prized for its striking appearance and exceptional flavor. The tender green leaves feature distinctive purple veins and an attractive oak leaf shape, creating a colorful display in the garden. As temperatures cool, the foliage develops rich shades of red and purple, making Red Russian Kale just as ornamental as it is productive.
Tender Leaves for Fresh Salads or Cooked Greens Red Russian Kale is incredibly versatile in the kitchen. Harvest the young leaves for fresh salad mixes, where their mild, sweet flavor shines, or allow the plants to mature for larger leaves that are perfect for sautéing, soups, and other cooked dishes. Like many cool-season greens, the flavor becomes even sweeter after a light frost, making it an outstanding choice for fall and winter gardens. Easy to grow, beautiful, and packed with nutrition, Red Russian Kale is a must-have variety for gardeners looking to enjoy fresh greens throughout the cool season.
Red Russian Kale Growing Tips
• When to Plant Kale
Kale is considered a "cool season" vegetable that grows best in the fall and early spring months. Although this variety will often make it well into the summer months without bolting, the best performance and production will come during the cooler months.
Kale can be directly sewn or transplanted in the backyard garden, although we prefer transplanting this variety. Plant seeds indoors or in a greenhouse 4-6 weeks before your intended in-ground planting date.
Kale transplants should be planted outdoors once they have a well-established root ball in their seed starting containers. Aim to put your transplants in the ground in the late summer months for a fall planting or in the late winter months for a spring planting.
Kale is very cold-tolerant and will grow well throughout the winter in the southern states. For gardeners in the middle or northern states, frost protection would be needed to grow them through the winter. Or you can opt for a late winter planting as temperatures are warming going into spring.
When transplanting kale plants, space them approximately 1' apart along rows or in your containers or raised beds. If directly sewing them into your garden, you can plant seeds a few inches apart and thin later. Some growers prefer to plant them thick and harvest as baby greens, while other growers prefer a full sized plant that will require 1' of space.
• How to Fertilize Kale Plants
It's always a good idea to apply some pre-plant fertilizer to the soil prior to planting kale transplants. We like to sprinkle Coop Gro organic fertilizer on our raised beds or along our rows prior to planting. This ensures the plants have the right nutrients to put down roots in their new soil.
Because kale plants are usually in your garden for several months (if not 7-8), they'll need repeated applications of fertilizer for solid production. We like to feed ours every 3-4 weeks with a liquid solution of AgroThrive General Purpose or by sprinkling Coop Gro around the base of the plants and lightly mixing it into the soil.
• When to Harvest Kale Greens
Kale greens can be harvested whenever you'd like! Some gardeners like to harvest "baby kale greens" as soon as the leaves are as big as their hands, while others prefer to wait until the leaves get larger.
When harvesting, be sure to leave 3-4 leaves on the top of the plant so it can continue to grow. Harvest the lower leaves as the plant grows and leave the top leaves for continual production throughout the cool season.
