Kale & Parsnip Question

Windemere had sent me some kale seeds that I want to try - Red Russian, I believe...  I'm planning to get them seeded this weekend.

And I picked up some kale (listed as Dinosaur) to try.  A bit TOO bitter for my tastes...

Suggestions on varieties?  What have you found in your kale growing?  What's really bitter and what's not?

The seeds you got I think are one of the best for taste. Like you I don't like the dinosaur variety very well. I am still in AZ so I can't go out to my seeds to remember what others I have but any of the Russian varieties are good.

Okay. Thanks, John. I'll get them going...

Red Russian is good. I also like curly kale, especially chopped for chicken broth based soups.

I eat my kale leaves young so they never have a chance to get tough or bitter. I also noticed that in my garden when kale and collards are grown under cover they don't get bitter no matter how old they are. I think a lot of the bitterness comes from the plant protecting itself against critters and vermin. My all time favorite is Winterbor. The Dino is my second favorite but like I said before it doesn't have a chance to get bitter.  I also grow Dwarf Curly Bluee Vates every year and it's the first to come back in the spring.

CC

CapeCoddess wrote:...  I also grow Dwarf Curly Bluee Vates every year and it's the first to come back in the spring.CC

Come back? resume growing or self seeding?

sanderson wrote:

CapeCoddess wrote:...  I also grow Dwarf Curly Bluee Vates every year and it's the first to come back in the spring.CC

Come back?  resume growing or self seeding?

The same plant puts out new leaves in spring. Toward midsummer it will flower and then create seedpods that I harvest for next years crop.

I planted Premier by Burpee but too late, and plowed it under with my hands when small. Hope it is good, I am putting it in early. Early.... Like St. Patty's day, with my peas and onion sets....emphasis early.....

CC, thanks.

This year for the first time I'm wintering over some Redbor kale for spring eating and summer seeds. This is a hybrid so it's an experiment to see if the seeds will even come true. 

This is a Georgia Collard that I'm wintering over for the first time for seed. In the upper right is a Curly Blue Vates.

 I also have some Winterbor wintering over which is also a hybrid. Lots of experimenting in the old SFG as usual. 

SR, I'll be planting my kale babies  as soon as the ground can be worked. I may cover them at first if need be, although most likely they will be on their own. It's the slugs that are the problem here and they don't care about covers... No respect!

CC

CapeCoddess wrote:I eat my kale leaves young so they never have a chance to get tough or bitter. I also noticed that in my garden when kale and collards are grown under cover they don't get bitter no matter how old they are. I think a lot of the bitterness comes from the plant protecting itself against critters and vermin. My all time favorite is Winterbor. The Dino is my second favorite but like I said before it doesn't have a chance to get bitter.  I also grow Dwarf Curly Bluee Vates every year and it's the first to come back in the spring.

CC

Okay... The kale I purchased was QUITE large, so that would explain it.

When you say "undercover," what exactly do you mean, CC?

Also - on the slugs, Has55 had posted a video about getting rid of them. I'm going to try that this year. (note to self - find that video...) It used yogurt/sour cream containers with holes cut about 1/2 way up. The containers are partially buried (up to the holes) and "food" is placed in the bottom of the cup. Slugs enter to get food & drown.

Wasn't it beer in the slug traps? Or do I just want beer? Lol.

CC, what do you start indoors? Just the warm weather veggies?

Marie, by undercover I mean in a hoop tunnel or some such. Like under tulle or some kind of netting. That's so the cabbage butterfly doesn't lay eggs on them which results in cabbage worms gnawing on them. Or the bunnies. Or whatever. I think the greens become tough and  bitter as a defense mechanism.

I saw that video. I've been saving up a few little containers just in case I want to go that route. Last year I used empty little cat food cans with about a half inch of beer in them with great success since we had next to no rain. The containers in the video will be great if there is rain. One can only hope.

SR, check out this weekend and last weekend in the New England thread. I posted lists and photos of what I planted already. It's a bit early to be doing this but what the heck. We're having such a mild winter and besides, they can stay in the window for as long as they need to.

CC

CapeCoddess wrote:

SR, check out this weekend and last weekend in the New England thread. I posted lists and photos of what I planted already. It's a bit early to be doing this but what the heck. We're having such a mild winter and besides, they can stay in the window for as long as they need to.

CC

I just saw that, thanks, CC!

Thanks, CC. I can put my Christmas present from DH to use quickly, then!

Last January I planted kale seeds for our daughter. We never got around to doing anything with them, so they were neglected and abused until I got my "salad bar" sfg. They survived it all, including our brutal summer. Today I went out to harvest some and discovered that several of them were double seeded. Now I have 3-4 beautiful kale plants that are only an inch or two apart and stunting each other. Should I just leave them alone and learn a lesson or would it be possible to separate them at this late date? These are dwarf curly blue and amazing. I'll never grow anything else. I never expected to have kale 12 months a year with plenty left over for the rabbit.

Honestly, I think I would try to move the "weaker" one, leaving the stronger start where it was.  Water well before and after to make it easier on the plants.  I don't think they will do well in their present situation, so go for it!

At this stage I would either snip off one of them or leave them together.

Divide them if you have lots of others to pick from now, as the shock will stop their growth for a bit. If no others, I'd leave them alone...and probably plant some more seeds. They love cooler weather.

I, too, have decided not to grow any other kale variety...except maybe dino...and maybe Winterbor.

CC

Thank you all! I will schedule kale surgery for later today.

Keep us posted on the patient's condition, CN!  

I think if my kale was in a container outside my back door I might like it.  The fact is, the early kale leaves were pretty tender and tasty, not , kaley.....  But then I just quit harvesting it.  I had 2 plants, which I think was too many.  Dwarf Blue Vates is what I grew.  It wasn't what I would call dwarf.  And keeping it covered might help too.

I might give it another try.  Anybody ever hear of Premier?  I bought that at Walmart.  Never grew it.

sanderson wrote:At this stage I would either snip off one of them or leave them together.

Turns out they weren't separate plants at all -- they were just side shoots. I didn't know kale would do that. Anyway, I'm snipping them off and feeding them to the rabbit. Problem solved.

Here's to parsnips and arugula!
This is my first year growing parsnips, and my second year growing arugula. Arugula was one the main reasons I wanted my own garden. The stuff from the grocery just wasn't the same as my old CSA (too far away once I moved.) One of my squares of arugula is growing over the side of the box. It gets brushed against when I walk by and the aroma makes me think "What is that delicious... ah, yes... arugula... mmm." Sometimes I just stand there and eat some of it.  

And yes, planting the kale and collards in the hoop house is ... awkward. They absolutely grew better because of the protection (from wind, and cabbage butterflies - but not sow bugs and slugs) but the kale is pushing against the fabric and I may have to cut the top off the plant so I can keep using the hoop house for winter. And they do shade things, and flop their big leaves over onto little seedlings in the other squares. But I really like not spending time picking caterpillars off them. It makes a quandary for me for planning where the kale will go next year.

MrBooker wrote:Also, I'm almost ashamed to admit it but I had never tasted parsnips or Arugula until this spring. Man... what a treat they are. My research told me that parsnips would most likely winter over in my area so before I planted any, I asked my wife to buy some parsnips at Wal-Mart for a taste test. I was blown away by the sweet cinnamon taste. My grandson said, "Grampa, they taste like grandma's pumpkin pie". I have 18 squares of Parsnips planted and their doing great... I can't wait til after the first hard frost to dig'em up. 

WOW! I had no idea. I thought parsnips were just another tasteless filler crop. I will DEFINITELY try them.