Palm kale

Palm kale is less hardy than kale: in a wind-sheltered spot it survives light frosts; in severe frost or frost without snow, cover it from mid-November with autumn leaves or brushwood and lay garden fleece over the top as well. In a pot, wrap the container and place it against a sheltered house wall so the root ball does not freeze through. It stays outdoors, because you harvest the lower leaves fresh over the winter from the bottom up and leave the heart standing.

In the home garden you propagate palm kale exclusively by sowing. Raise it indoors from mid to late March on the windowsill or in a cold frame: sow the seeds in a seed tray with loose substrate, about 1 cm deep, 4 to 5 cm apart. At germination temperatures around 16 °C the first seedlings appear after about 7 to 14 days. Once the young plants are past the seed leaves and show their first true leaves, prick them out into small individual pots. After four to six weeks the strong plants go into the bed, at the earliest after the Ice Saints in mid-May. You can also sow directly outdoors from mid-May to July. Planting distance in the bed: at least 50 × 50 cm, as palm kale reaches stately heights.

If you want to collect your own seed, leave one or, better, several strong plants standing over winter: palm kale is biennial and flowers only in the following year from May, with pale yellow flowers. Since it is only moderately hardy and does not tolerate severe frost, protect overwintering plants with horticultural fleece or bring them through the winter in a frost-free, cool room (about 1 to 5 °C). In spring they sprout, flower and form long seed pods. When the pods turn brown and rustle, cut off the seed heads and dry them further. The small, round seeds can then be stored for several years and stay viable.

Important for seed true to type: palm kale is a cross-pollinator and crosses via insects with other Brassica oleracea relatives (kale, white cabbage, red cabbage, savoy cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi). For seed collecting, therefore, let only one Brassica oleracea variety flower at a time or keep spatial distance, otherwise the varieties mix.