Brassica oleracea var. palmifolia

Palm kale

Common names: Black kale, Tuscan kale, Cavolo Nero

Photo: Raffi Kojian · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

This description was machine-translated.

Description

Palm kale (Brassica oleracea var. palmifolia) does not form a head but produces long stems with dark‑green, fan‑shaped leaves that resemble a small palm. It is extremely winter‑hardy and tastes best after the first frosts—mild, slightly nutty and buttery tender.

Care instructions

Plant after May in humus‑rich soil. Harvest leaves continuously from the bottom up; the plant will keep growing for weeks. Leave it in place through winter—frost sweetens and softens the leaves. Water regularly during dry summers to prevent young leaves from becoming tough.

Companion planting

Good neighbours

Red beet Spinach Lettuce Pea

Rather not

White cabbage kale kohlrabi Broccoli

Diseases & pests

2 relevant

From the knowledge base, automatically linked by affected species.

PesthighApr–Sep

Delia radicum

PesthighMay–Sep

Pieris brassicae

Notes from real gardens

What other gardeners have written down about this variety — anonymous, voluntary.

No notes shared yet. Will you be the first to write one down?

If you want to write your own notes, sign in or create an account.