Wondering how to harvest kale so it keeps growing?
Well, kale is a wonderful staple that you can add to your favorite salads or any comfort meal.
And there’s no alternative to homegrown fresh and nutritious leafy greens in your pantry.
That’s why almost every homesteader loves to grow one or two kale plants in the garden.
But, while growing kale is easy, harvesting needs a little care.
No worries as I’m going to share the best way to harvest kale and secure its growth.
Does Kale Keep Growing After You Pick It?
Yes, the best thing about kale is that the plant will keep growing after you pick it.
Kale is a leafy green from the Brassicaceae family that continues to grow and produce leaves. So, you can just pluck the leaves and enjoy without any worry.
But, you need to be very careful in plucking only the leaves without hurting the plant. Or, cutting the roots or stems accidentally may destroy the entire plant and its growth.
The best way is to cut the leaves from the bottom using a knife.
Also, cutting the leaves in several sessions also might harm your kale plant. If you want it to grow healthily, you need to cut all the leaves in one single session.
And right after cutting them, you can leave the rest including the stems and the roots alone.
So, the ideal way is to cut the entire batch of leaves at once. As soon as the plant produces new leaves, it’s time to cut them again and wait for the next batch.
This way, you can harvest your favorite kale plants multiple times.
How Long Do Kale Plants Last?
Kale is a biennial plant that leaves for only two years.
As the plant grows in the first year, it produces bright green leaves. In the second year, the plant produces a flower stalk.
As the flower stalk of a kale plant forms flowers, it produces seeds. Right after the seeds start to mature, a kale plant dies.
This is the usual life cycle of all kale plants.
Can You Harvest Kale Multiple Times?
As I’ve mentioned above, you can harvest kale several times as long as there are leaves.
And for the plant’s good health, it’s quite essential to harvest kale on a regular basis. If you don’t do it and let the leaves die, your kale plant will reduce its healthy growth.
Not harvesting kale regularly can really discourage the plant to maintain its normal growth. New leaves come back and mature usually within 5-7 days from harvest.
You need to look for fully mature leaves and harvest them at the right time.
How Do You Harvest Kale Without Killing The Plant?
How to harvest kale so it keeps growing? Here’s my answer!
The best way to harvest kale without killing is to cut the leaves only. You need to first wait for the leaves to mature fully. Then, using a knife or your fingertips, you need to cut the leaves from the base.
While harvesting kale, you need to avoid touching the roots and stems. These are the most sensitive organs of the plant that you need to avoid cutting. You also need to avoid cutting the newly grown leaves.
Just like some other biennials, kale is quite sensitive to damage. So, you need to be very careful while harvesting kale. Otherwise, the plant can be damaged and may even die if you harvest it in the wrong way.
How Do You Trim Kale?
It’s very easy to trim kale plants and all you need is a kitchen or garden knife. You need to start at the base of the plant and then work your way up. And to start with, you need to select the most mature leaves of the plant.
While trimming kale, you need to make sure that you leave four immature leaves. You’ll find these immature leaves at the topmost part of the plant. It will help the immature leaves as well as the entire plant to keep growing.
Now, you already know how to harvest kale so it keeps growing. But, how often should you water kale? I’ll just come to that!
How Often Should You Water Kale?
Kale is among those plants that you need to water daily watering. You need to evenly supply at least up to 1 inch of water weekly. It means a small amount of water on a daily basis will help your kale plant grow healthily.
But, in case it’s too hot outside and the soil is dry, it’s time to water thoroughly. And if you’re wondering what’s the best time to water kale, I’ll suggest early morning. But, if you’re not a morning person, late afternoon will be also suitable.
Kale Growing Stages
Kale requires well-drained soil and full sun to grow. But, the plant can withstand cold and grows really fast in all seasons. Here’s a list of the growing stages of a kale plant:
Germination of Seeds
The first stage of a kale plant’s growth is germination, also known as the sprouting of the seeds. Whether you sow kale seeds indoors or outdoors, they’ll need 5-7 days to germinate. And to speed up the process, you need to soak the seeds and add fertilizer to the soil.
Also, depending on the weather, the germination process may get delayed. For quick germination, the soil needs to be warm with a temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit or above. When the seeds germinate, two small leaves will appear, which are known as cotyledons.
First True Leaves
Right after the cotyledons appear, you need to wait for one more week for the true leaves to emerge. Unlike the cotyledons, these two leaves look exactly like the kale leaves. These are miniature versions of fully-grown leaves.
Seedlings
As these two leaves start to grow, the seedling will also grow taller. You will see that the leaves of kale plants grow on the inner side. And the leaves from the outer side tend to grow larger and more mature with time.
Growing
Though kale is quite easy to grow, it needs proper care and patience to grow. The soil needs to be well-drained to ensure the healthy growth of the plant. Additionally, you can add fertilizers or compost to enhance growth.
The First Season
In the first season, your kale plant will only produce leaves. Within 60-70 days from sowing seeds, your kale plant is supposed to produce at least 10-12 leaves. If you notice that the leaves from the outer side are mature enough, you can harvest them at this stage.
The Second Season
The second season is all about flowering, which is also known as reproduction. In this stage, your kale plant will only produce flowers instead of leaves. And after the production of new seeds from the flower, the plant usually dies.
How Tall Should Kale Grow?
The ideal height of a fully-grown kale plant is about 1-2 feet. In width also, the plant usually grows up to 1-2 feet. Though it’s not the maximum growing height of all cultivars, most of them grow up to this much.
Giant Tree Kale is an exception that can grow up to 6-7 inches in height. The plant doesn’t look like regular kale plants. You can identify a Giant Tree Kale plant by its flat leaves that tend to curl at the edges.
How Do You Know When Kale Is Ready To Pick?
If the leaves at the outer side of a kale plant become as large as your palm, you can pick them.
You can also check it by looking at the leaves, which should look mature.
The color of mature kale leaves is darker than those of the inner side of the plant.
What Do You Do With Bolted Kale?
You need to immediately pick up the bolted kale leaves as soon as you spot them.
Then, you need to massage the leaves lightly so as to retain the flavor.
Bolting usually harms kale by ruining the flavor and texture of the leaves.
How Do You Get Seeds From Kale?
You can collect seeds from your kale plant in the second growing season. All you need to do is place a paper bag around the plant. Shaking the plant lightly with your hand will release some seeds on the paper bag.
This is how you can collect kale seeds from your kale plant. But, remember that seeds will only appear in the second season. In the first season, your kale plant will only produce leaves and continue to do so.
Why Is My Garden Kale Bitter?
Kale naturally has a hint of bitterness owing to its chemical composition.
The plant contains glucosinolates and myrosinase enzymes that produce a bitter taste.
But, if your garden kale is exceptionally bitter, it can be because of the cultivar.
Why Is My Kale Falling Over?
Not watering your kale plant regularly can dehydrate it from the core.
As a result, the leaves may dry out too soon and fall over.
Another reason could also be the harsh temperature that’s causing severe damage to your plant.
Conclusion
So, how to harvest kale so it keeps growing?
Now, you already know the answer!
So, just go ahead and follow my above tips to enjoy fresh and healthy kale from your homestead.
Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. so you can pin it to your Homestead Lifestyle Board!!
