Kale spacing

TSHRED 1/21/2015, 7:13 pm

Some SQF gardening charts say 1 per square and some say 2 is okay.

I'd like to put 2 per square is that okay?

**walshevak** 1/21/2015, 7:47 pm

yep, I do, especially since they are a cut and come again plant. harvest from the bottom up. BTW, kale tends to have bottom leaves that yellow. Cut and compost.

Kay

**sanderson** 1/21/2015, 8:07 pm

If you are going to "cut and grow" you can do 2/sq in a zig zag pattern. I don't know what the pattern is called.
The diagonal of a square is about 17". Example. Start about 4" up and 4" over from the lower left corner of the square (about 5+" from the corner on a diagonal) for the first kale. Second plant at about 4" down and 4" over from the upper right kitty corner (or 8+" away on the diagonal ) for the second plant. Repeat on the next square, etc. The plants will form a zig zag.

yolos 1/21/2015, 8:15 pm

I grow 2 winterbor kale per square. But maybe some kale is larger than winterbor and takes up more room. I would start with 2 per square and if they get too large, you can always cut down one or harvest a lot of leaves from both.

**camprn** 1/21/2015, 9:13 pm

what kind of kale?

**sanderson** 1/21/2015, 9:25 pm

Mine are curly and Russian.

TSHRED 1/21/2015, 11:07 pm

camprn wrote:what kind of kale?

Lacinato and Vates Blue Curled Scotch.

TSHRED 1/21/2015, 11:09 pm

sanderson wrote:If you are going to "cut and grow" you can do 2/sq in a zig zag pattern. I don't know what the pattern is called.
The diagonal of a square is about 17". Example. Start about 4" up and 4" over from the lower left corner of the square (about 5+" from the corner on a diagonal) for the first kale. Second plant at about 4" down and 4" over from the upper right kitty corner (or 8+" away on the diagonal ) for the second plant. Repeat on the next square, etc. The plants will form a zig zag.

Sounds like a plan!
thanks

Windmere 1/21/2015, 11:45 pm

My Red Russian grew monstrous last year. This year's winter crop is well on its way to doing the same. Yesterday, my daughter and I ate all the outer leaves to our heart's content. They are indeed cut and come back. If we keep up with that, 1 per square works fine for us.

TSHRED 1/21/2015, 11:48 pm

Windmere wrote:My Red Russian grew monstrous last year. This year's winter crop is well on its way to doing the same. Yesterday, my daughter and I ate all the outer leaves to our heart's content. They are indeed cut and come back. If we keep up with that, 1 per square works fine for us.

We juice a lot so the outer leaves will be harvested regularly.

**camprn** 1/22/2015, 12:17 pm

TSHRED wrote:
camprn wrote:what kind of kale?

Lacinato and Vates Blue Curled Scotch.

Blue Curled Scotch is one I would plant one each foot. http://myfolia.com/plants/48-kale-brassica-oleracea-acephala-group/varieties/4089-dwarf-blue-scotch-curled

and the same with Lacinato
http://myfolia.com/plants/48-kale-brassica-oleracea-acephala-group/varieties/10238-lacinato

Not only must the foliage canopy be considered, so too how large the root system will need to be to support such a plant. Foliage plants like kales, cabbage, spinach, lettuce, will grow more vigorously if there is enough room for the roots to take up more nutrients. They also like nitrogen rich compost, a lot.

TSHRED 1/22/2015, 12:23 pm

camprn wrote:
TSHRED wrote:
camprn wrote:what kind of kale?

Lacinato and Vates Blue Curled Scotch.

Blue Curled Scotch is one I would plant one each foot. http://myfolia.com/plants/48-kale-brassica-oleracea-acephala-group/varieties/4089-dwarf-blue-scotch-curled

and the same with Lacinato
http://myfolia.com/plants/48-kale-brassica-oleracea-acephala-group/varieties/10238-lacinato

Thanks for the tip. I just put them in 2 per but I can redo no problem.

**camprn** 1/22/2015, 12:26 pm

TSHRED wrote:
camprn wrote:
TSHRED wrote:
camprn wrote:what kind of kale?

Lacinato and Vates Blue Curled Scotch.

Blue Curled Scotch is one I would plant one each foot. http://myfolia.com/plants/48-kale-brassica-oleracea-acephala-group/varieties/4089-dwarf-blue-scotch-curled

and the same with Lacinato
http://myfolia.com/plants/48-kale-brassica-oleracea-acephala-group/varieties/10238-lacinato

Thanks for the tip. I just put them in 2 per but I can redo no problem.

Did you read the info at the links?

TSHRED 1/22/2015, 1:11 pm

camprn wrote:
TSHRED wrote:
camprn wrote:
TSHRED wrote:
camprn wrote:what kind of kale?

Lacinato and Vates Blue Curled Scotch.

Blue Curled Scotch is one I would plant one each foot. http://myfolia.com/plants/48-kale-brassica-oleracea-acephala-group/varieties/4089-dwarf-blue-scotch-curled

and the same with Lacinato
http://myfolia.com/plants/48-kale-brassica-oleracea-acephala-group/varieties/10238-lacinato

Thanks for the tip. I just put them in 2 per but I can redo no problem.
Did you read the info at the links?

Yes. Thank you.

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