![]() ![]() Once you see the sprouts emerging from the soil, you can remove the cover. The summer weather is often hot and dry and providing a bit of shade helps reduce water evaporation from the soil and encourage good germination. When sowing seed in mid to late summer for a fall or winter harvest, I like to float a length of row cover or shadecloth over top the bed on hoops for the first week after planting. Ideal soil temperatures for seeding and transplanting are 55 F (10 C) to 77 F (25 C). You can direct seed or transplant as early as two to three weeks before the last spring frost and as late as six to eight weeks before the first fall frost. When to plant lacinato kaleīecause it’s both heat and cold tolerant, lacinato kale has a long planting season. Lacinato kale plants can grow up to three feet tall and their unique form and foliage add interest to both vegetable and flower gardens. The plants can grow up to three feet tall and when mature look a bit like miniature palm trees with a rosette of narrow leaves held atop straight stems. This unique kale is tolerant of both hot and cold weather, but is less winter hardy than varieties like Winterbor and Red Russian. Lacinato is one of the most ornamental vegetables I grow and everyone loves its unique form and foliage. It’s a member of the cabbage family and related to crops like collards, cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage. Lacinato kale is an heirloom vegetable from Italy with many names including dinosaur kale, Tuscan kale, Cavolo Nero, Toscana kale, Italian kale, and black kale. ![]() Lacinato kale is popular for its beautiful blue-green leaves and mild flavour. Keep reading to learn how to grow a bumper crop of lacinato kale. Plus, it’s quick and easy to grow with a baby crop ready to harvest a month from seeding and mature leaves just four weeks later. The leaves are thinner and more tender than other types of kale making this an excellent choice for both raw and cooked dishes. The plants form beautiful rosettes of blue-green leaves that are perfect for the vegetable or flower garden. I’ve noticed this too.Lacinato kale is my favorite type of kale to grow. In fact, according to University of Wisconsin Extension, a light frost can increase its sweetness. This type is great served raw in salads due to its tender texture and sweet taste. Russian and Siberian species and cultivars are sometime left to grow for a second season and their flower buds are harvested and are known as kale rabe or napini. You can then store leaves in a plastic bag or container inside your refrigerator. ![]() To remove field heat imparted by the sun in the veggie patch and to prevent wilting post-harvest, dunk the leaves in a tub of cold water. ![]() Make sure to take the leaves out of the sun quickly after you’ve collected them. To prevent wilting, harvest early in the morning while it is still cool outside. Post harvest, I’ve noticed this cultivar tends to wilt faster than other greens. This allows the plant to continue to produce new leaves, providing you with multiple harvests. One important tip to remember is to only harvest the outer leaves, and never the interior portions of new growth. This variety is harvested in the same way as other types of kale. Due to the shortening days of fall, your plants will mature more slowly in the fall than in the spring. ![]()
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