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bananimal

01-12-2011 12:31 AM

Anyone tried growing Italian Kale - Lacinato?

Planted a few seeds last year and the heat did them in fast. I love kale in Caldo Verde, aka Caldo Gallego.

Anybody?

Roslyn

01-22-2011 06:00 PM

Re: Anyone tried growing Italian Kale - Lacinato?

I've grown that kind of kale before. It's also called dinosaur kale, right? At the time, I was in Ithaca, NY, so it was really easy to grow throughout the summer. Have you tried growing it in the winter so that it doesn't die?

For me, the good things were that it's really hardy to cold temperatures and I really love the taste. The bad things were that it's a slow grower and in the fall it had a lot of caterpillars that we had to pick off. It also ended up getting big gray aphids in the fall. Ick.

I'm in North Carolina now and as soon as the weather warms up just a bit, I intend to grow it again. To keep off caterpillars, I'm going to grow it under some white tulle this time.

The Hollyberry Lady

01-22-2011 06:17 PM

Re: Anyone tried growing Italian Kale - Lacinato?

Have you ever tried growing Kale in a pot? ;)

It's ideal and easier to keep bugs away when you can move the container around from place to place.

I grow many veggies in pots, not just Kale, and they perform fantastically.

I love to grow Kale in the cool Spring, Autumn, and Winter, but I avoid Summer. It thrives in cool weather and Kale is actually sweetest when it's been kissed with a little frost.

Tip: crumbled eggshells around the base of your Kale will ward off caterpillars because they hate to crawl over the rough shells. :D Be sure to make a complete thick circle, all the way around.

Good Luck! :waving:

: )

Richard

01-22-2011 11:13 PM

Re: Anyone tried growing Italian Kale - Lacinato?

Like most Brassicas, Kale likes cool nights (45F) and temperate days (60F - 70F). Sustained temperatures above 75F will cause the leaf of Brassicas and Lettuces in general to take on a bitter flavor. Cool them back down for a week (while still growing) and the bitterness goes away.

I like to grow Kale in a 10-inch pot so that it gets some serious roots and hence produces a lot of foliage. It doesn't require much fertilizer, consider a 5-1-1 Fish Emulsion or 20-5-5 water-soluble with micronutrients. If you are growing Lacinato, then I also recommend you try a pot each of Silver Rib Kale -- also sold as Winter Bor, and Red Kale (Bor).

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