Kale looks good enough to eat
KAle isn’t just good for you and tastes fantastic, it has attractive foliage too. Plants are actually quite architectural with an upright habit and leaves that are lobed, feathery or with an eyecatching crinkly appearance. Many come in a shade of green, from an olive colour to very dark, but there are varieties with leaves that are red or purple – great for an ordinary border as well as the veg patch. Plants particularly earn their keep overwinter thanks to their ability to cope with wind, rain and temperatures down to -15°C.
Seeds can be sown directly into warm soil outside, from early spring to early summer, to provide pickings later in summer and into autumn. Simply make a 1in (2.5cm) deep trench and place three seeds, every 18in (45cm), along its length. Keep the strongest of each trio of seedlings and remove the remaining two.
if you want larger plants to provide interest over winter, sow a few seeds in pots before the end of the month. Move seedlings into their own containers and plant well-rooted specimens outside in mid-summer. Space 18in (45cm) apart in small groups or dot them individually into beds.