How far apart should I plant kale?

45 cm apart in the row, with rows 60 cm apart. In a square foot garden, that's 1 per square.

What grows well with kale?

Nasturtium, Dill, Mint, Beetroot.

Kale

Brassica oleracea var. sabellica

In a typical UK garden, sow indoors late February to mid-May, sow outside early April to early August, plant out late March to late August, and harvest late June to late March.

When to sow, plant and harvest

Frost dates

Last frost around 20 April, first frost around 31 October.

Sow indoors: late February to mid-May
Sow outdoors: early April to early August
Plant out: late March to late August
Harvest: late June to late March

Spacing: 45 cm apart, rows 60 cm apart
Square foot: 1 per square (30 cm squares)
Sowing depth: 1.5 cm
Ready in: 45 to 65 days from planting out
Grows to: 90 cm
Hardiness: Hardy to about -15 °C
Sun: Copes with some shade
Crops for: About 20 weeks

Growing tip

Pick the lower leaves first and leave the crown growing; frost makes the leaves sweeter.

Neighbours

Grows well with

Brassicas are one crop rotation group. Try not to grow them where any of the family grew in the last two or three years. How crop rotation works

Guides

When to plant

Kale sown in early summer feeds you all winter

Sow kale outdoors from April to early August, or indoors from late February to mid-May. Plant out from late March to late August. A sowing in May or June gives leaves from late summer right through winter until March, when fresh greens are hardest to find.

More brassicas

Where these figures come from

Every crop in VegLog was checked against published growing advice. Dates are worked out from average frost dates, so they shift with your garden. For kale, we used:

Grow kale with VegLog

Add kale to a bed and VegLog reminds you when to sow, plant out and pick, timed to your own town's frost dates.