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Chinese Kale – Kailaan
(10 Plug Plants)
Easy to grow organic plants
Crops for a long time
Plant from spring to late autumn
Shipped within 3-5 working days
£5.99
It’s like a broccoli and kale cross
This plant can be used in many different ways in the kitchen. Sometimes called Chinese broccoli, and sometimes called Chinese kale, it’s really a combination of the two. Plant 30cm apart, ideally in beds, and look after it as you would any other brassica – protect it from pigeons, butterflies etc. It is usually grown as a cut and come again vegetable. Most of the plant can be harvested, as baby leaves a few weeks after planting or as mature plants once they reach 30-40cm tall. The leaves, stem and even the flowers can be eaten. This plant should keep giving right through the Autumn and can even stretch into winter if properly protected.
Number of plants: 10 plug plants
Variety: Kailaan (organic*)
In the kitchen: You can eat the young leaves raw in salads and the stems are ideal for steaming or adding to a stir fry.
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[blogtitle] => Growing Kale - Some Helpful Tips
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[post_content] => You'll find that growing kale (any of the varieties) is incredibly easy as you needn't worry so much about pests like cabbage white caterpillars. In fact, pigeons will probably be the only real problem. That's not to say they are completely immune to cabbage whites, slugs and other pests, but kales don't tend to attract pests nearly as much as other brassicas like cabbages and broccoli.
We'd still advise popping a net over them to keep pigeons off, especially while the plants are still young and vulnerable, and it's definitely worth casting an eye over them for signs of caterpillars every so often, but they should remain relatively untouched and you can rest assured you'll get a good crop from a few plants. The other thing that makes kale easy to grow is that it is so hardy and self-sufficient. You can plant it in a shady spot and it will still thrive.
Interestingly, kale is the oldest brassica that we grow here in the UK (cabbages, cauliflowers and broccoli were cultivated much later on in our agricultural history) and is the closest to original wild cabbages/brassicas. This is because it hasn't really been tampered with, and this more natural evolution may also explain why it is less pest-prone than other heavily cultivated and cross bred brassicas.
So, if you're a little dubious about the success you've had with brassicas in the past, then we'd highly recommend trying a few kales this summer, and if you can plant some sacrificial nasturtiums as companion plants nearby, then you're almost guaranteed to have a caterpillar free crop!
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[post_content] => We've had a few customers wondering when they can start harvesting their kale, spinach and chard plants, so we thought we'd share the advice!
Spinach & Chard
Around 2-3 weeks after planting, your spinach and chard should have fairly well established roots and hopefully the leaves will be big enough to harvest. We'd suggest waiting until the biggest leaves on the plant are at least 6-8cm (excluding the stalk) before you start harvesting from it. Using a sharp knife, scissors or secateurs, cut off the larger, outer leaves at the base of their stalks (this is better than trying to rip them off at the stalk which can damage the plant and you risk uprooting them!) Harvest only what you need, making sure you leave the new leafy growth in the centre of the plant so that it can keep growing. In this way you can expect to harvest from your plants right through summer and autumn.
Curly Kale
Ours is a dwarf variety, and it is better to wait until the plant itself has reached approx 15-20cm tall before you start to harvest from it. Again, use a knife or scissors to cut individual leaves at the base of the stalk, and leave the new growth in the centre to continue growing. Alternatively, wait until the plant has reached full size (20-25cm) and harvest the whole plant.
Cavolo Nero
Wait until most of the mature leaves on the plant reach about 20cm long. Then harvest leaves as and when you want to use them by tugging the leaves downwards to pull them from the stalk. Leave the remaining younger leaves on the upper part of the plant to keep growing. By harvesting a few leaves from each plant they should keep going right through to autumn/winter. Over time you’ll have a tall plant with a bare lower stalk and new leaves constantly forming on the upper part.
Red Russian Kale
Once you've got a several leaves on the plant (e.g. 10-15 leaves per plant), you can harvest a few of the larger leaves. Use a knife/scissors to avoid damaging the plant, and keep picking leaves as and when you want to use them. Harvest a few leaves from each plant and leave the newer, younger leaves to keep growing and you should find your plant carries on producing more and more through autumn and winter.
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[post_content] => It's sensible to protect brassicas - kale, broccoli, cabbage, sprouts, cauliflowers - from pigeons and cabbage white butterflies. Here are a couple of ways to do that without spending unnecessary money on 'kit'!
For brassicas that grow lower to the ground - cabbages, cauliflowers, swede, turnips, curly kale
You can either drape horticultural fleece or mesh netting over the plants, loosely so that the plants can push the netting up easily and do their growing thing.
OR... cut some bamboo canes to 50-60cm and prod into the soil at intervals along the edges of the rows, and a couple in the centre. Top the bamboo canes with something like an old jam jar or yogurt pot (to stop the bamboo canes from making holes in the netting), and then drape the netting over the top.
In both cases, secure the netting down well at the sides using heavy stones.
For taller brassicas - cavolo nero, brussels sprouts, red russian kale, calabrese broccolo, purple sprouting broccoli
As these plants are taller, the best thing to do is to make your own hoop frame using bamboo canes and old hosepipe which doesn't take long...
All you need is a few equal lengths of old hosepipe measuring around 100-130cm (we've used an old drip hose) and a few lengths of bamboo, approx 30cm long.
Simply push two bamboo lengths halfway into the soil on either side of the row of plants you wish to cover (about 2 foot apart should be fine, but play around with distances to suit your plot). These will form the base of the hoop, holding it steady. Now thread the hose pipe onto the bamboo at each end, pushing it right down to the soil if you can, to make the hoop. Repeat this at 2-3 foot intervals as pictured.
Once you've got your frames in place, you can cover them with a sheet of horticultural fleece or netting to protect plants from pests. Be sure to secure the cover to the ground - you can use heavy stones.
What to do if you don't have hosepipe? Don't worry, you can use the bamboo cane technique mentioned above, you just need to make the bamboo canes longer - 130-140cm - and you may need a few extra canes in the centre to stop the netting from sagging. Push the canes well into the soil for stability, but you should end up with a 'cage' that is around 120cm tall which should be adequate.
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You’ll find that growing kale (any of the varieties) is incredibly easy as you needn’t worry so much about pests like cabbage white caterpillars. In fact, pigeons will probably be...
We’ve had a few customers wondering when they can start harvesting their kale, spinach and chard plants, so we thought we’d share the advice! Spinach & Chard Around 2-3 weeks...
It’s sensible to protect brassicas – kale, broccoli, cabbage, sprouts, cauliflowers – from pigeons and cabbage white butterflies. Here are a couple of ways to do that without spending unnecessary...
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