I loved gardening, but I felt like quitting, and for a few months, i did not care for my garden, watching his videos motivated me to start gardening again. 😇
Whenever I have a day that could be better the immediate relief I get from Ben and his enthusiasm for the simplest forms of beauty (growing things) always, always, always picks me up and makes me smile again.
@@GrowVeg Dear Ben! So motivating!!! Yesterday (after your videos) I worked in my garden in the snow from 8 am until 2 pm and repaired my compost!!!! 😄😄😄😍
I mass plant kale and regularly pick baby leaves. The younger the leaves, the richer the flavour. You can also have lots of varieties in a small space!!!
I live in tropical Indonesia and Kale thrives in the heat - even during the hot and humid dry season! It's the only brassica apart from Asian Greens I can grow in my area.
Thank you! I’ll be growing mine in my Aerogarden, but was super clueless! My bunny is going to be pumped, and anytime I can skip the store, I’m pumped!
Deer also like to eat kale. I've learned that covering it with Tulle works well. It can be gotten either online or any fabric store and it's safe for the birds.
Your joy and enthusiasm make gardening so appealing to your audience. I'm subscribed and wait with bated breath for future instalments. Much love from Ontario Canada!
Thanks for the video Ben. I grow kale all year round, because in Germany, where I live, you can only buy kale (Grünkohl) in the late Autumn after the first frosts. Please everyone pick a sturdy netting to cover your crops or birds can easily get tangled up in a loose floppy netting.
I grew a marvelous and beautiful Kale last summer, which in August seemed to turn into a Caligula menace ~ huge and enjoyed tripping me as I tried to walk past it. I love them! And thank you for this marvelous video, so informative, and your garden is gorgeous after all your renovation and I love the seat/arbor.
I love your enthusiasm ! I love cavolo Nero, it is so versatile. Mine from last spring has just started going to seed so I cut the tops off and we ate them like tiny tender sprouting broccoli shoots, they were delicious!
@@GrowVeg i wish I had space 😪, I use to do alot before now I can because I am in a new space with no land to do so ,I will try to do some pot in the coming weeks ,very sad because I love to plant so much
Great info! I love kale! Here in the southern U.S., we get so many bugs. They thrive in the heat and humidity. I plant kale in the fall, pick from it over winter, and harvest it all in spring. It's replaced in the garden with chard, malabar spinach, and sweet potato greens.
Hi, Ben and thank you very much for posting the video with not only your knowledge but also your experience mainly , good suggestions you conveyed , thanks
I grow dwarf curly kale here in Spain. It grows so well but needs to be a cool (hahaha) season crop. I'm still harvesting well from about 15 plants. Delish!
another fantastic video! boy it seems like spring wont ever get here, cant wait to see how this year shapes up. thank you for being here for us all with your videos and inspiring us to make the world a beautiful place!
Caterpillars won in my garden last year. Going to plant some sacrificial pots this year to feed them but cover my maincrop, as Gary said "a lesson learned..."
I love kale, especially dinosaur and scarlet kale. Bacillus thuringiensis is an excellent thing to use if you get cabbage moth caterpillars. I use diatomaceous earth when flea beetles attack. And I kill aphids with organic soft soap dilluted in water, with a shot of ethanol added. All work really well and best of all, they're all organic methods.
The only green I like cooked. But love it in my salads all summer. Just bought my kale seeds, so I will get them started. I sow it in spring and again in summer.
Love love your videos.. you break things down in such a clear simple way. Thank you. My kale from seeds outside got attacked by caterpillars so I’m going to try your tips to start indoors and hope for a fall/winter season
Nero kale is lovely. And I like 'curly scarlet' too.. It steams dark and tender.. (Don't over do it) The lighter green varieties can feel a bit spikey!
Howdy Ben!🖐 Oh, how I love me some kale...all of them! 😃 I have several spring dino and dwarf blue curly kale seedlings almost ready to plant out in their beds. I share kale with several other folks who love it. I like to put kale in quiche, stews and soups too. And every now and then I make kale chips with the dino kale.🙂 I find it stores well in the freezer to use in dishes in the wintertime...if my kale plants get knocked out by ice. Another great video, Ben! Your garden looks great! I am looking forward to the next one...putting in the new bed.🙂 Give Miss Rosie a pat for me! Have a great week gardening!👩🏾🌾
Great video, thank you. We had a big pile of cavelo nero on our plates this evening, picked from the garden half an hour before dinner! My favourite too. :-) This lot was from those planted in containers around 14 inches square. It's the first year Ive tried container growing it and it was very successful. Particularly easy to cover with mesh too.
Ben I just recently picked up your book at my local library in South Carolina. It's one of the best books on gardening I've ever had the pleasure of reading. You did such an amazing job with the way the pictures are laid out and the way you presented the information, very concise. As I'm reading it, I can hear your cheerful knowledgeable voice in my head ☺️ It's the perfect book for new and old gardeners, I learned so much, I highly recommend it. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
I will be planting kale this year so a timely viewing! As well as in a veg bed l want to use it as a folige plant ariund a garden seating area with Fatsias, palms and bamboos - hopefully throw the pigeons off the scent.
I had just bought kale seeds a few weeks ago. I didn't have any plants to keep during the winter months, which really bummed me out. Looking forward to trying to grow some myself soon
I am finishing harvesting my kale and I'm so happy how much I got from 4 plants. watching this video clarified that I was indeed doing it right as a novice veg grower. so now whenever I need info or know how, I always check on your videos. thank you
Oh Ben, you would not believe the quantity of kale I grow every year. I have a giant tortoise, & Kale is a massive part of his diet. Last year I counted 145 Kale plants‼️🙈 which was ridiculous even for me 😂 I gave about 50 away & planted the rest, which has kept us going right up to today! Unfortunately due to one of the many storms we’ve had here in Scotland, a big spruce tree fell over & landed smack into my huge brassica cage 😩 and today we finally got around to removing it. Needless to say, the cage is caput, but miraculously the Kale underneath survived 😂 Love your videos & your articles in Kitchen garden mag......keep them coming 😁
We had a mass of whitefly last year, I learnt that grated Castile soap, 1 tablespoon dissolved in 1 quart of water and sprayed under the leaves early morning or evening when cooler massively reduced them. Took a while to find the soap but some supermarkets stock it in un-perfumed section.
Great salad idea with kale : Chopped leaves with chopped cucumber clove of garlic chopped mix together with a grating of Parmesan and drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil... really delicious and great health benefits.
Must try the red Russian and cavalo Nero this season for next winter . I love my Taunton Dean so will probably enjoy those other ones too. Must find a nice recipe for a green smoothie.
I always like your enthusiasm. I encourage sparrows with feeding over winter and nestboxes. - they and the wasps seem to eat the caterpillars and many of the pests. If I find any, I put them in their food bowl.
I think this year I will germinate my brassicas under large Tupperware bins in the raised vegetable beds. That seemed to be an excellent slug-proof method that worked for me a few years ago. I especially like the Dinosaur kale as well. Thanks for sharing Ben.
Kale crisps. Toss in 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, salt and garlic granules, 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder. 10 minutes in oven 180 degrees c. Delicious. Also works with tree cabbage.
Put some kale seeds in the ground today. I am expanding my garden. Its early spring here, hope when summer heat comes it will not kill my kale. Mulched it. I hope I wont over-water it. Only pests I face is aphids, but birds have been kind enough to devour them once they become aware of their presence. The birds don't eat the leaves though.
I'm doing a juice diet and it seems like I am constantly buying dinosaur kale. I have a good yard in Oregon to grow it and the weather is just starting to stay above freezing so I think now is a good time to start some seeds indoors. Thanks for this very informative video.
Hi Ben, I grew the Curly Kale last season for the first time and it was delicious, the only problem I had white fly so, bought some micromesh to cover to see if it helps this season. I hadn't realised I could have left he plants in through the Winter great video with lots of advice. Thanks for sharing and taking care 🙂
@@GrowVeg can we grow this Kale vegetable in April or extreme Summer of 40 degrees Celsius in our home garden or not.?? I'm from south Asia where temperature in Summers is very high
The only way I can eat kale is in soup, but it's delicious there! I blanche and freeze it, then throw it in my winter soups. I suspect the freezing makes it tender, and the blanching removes the "green" taste that I'm so adverse to. I tried growing kale last year but the caterpillars got it. Maybe I'll try the purple kale this year.
Never grown it before,bit I have been getting the 'grow your own' magazine which comes with seeds and it came with some. So we are going to try to grow it this autumn....it's curly kale so will see what happens. I have it in plug trays ATM and will pot on into 9cm pots so it can stay on my greenhouse shelving set,we have the door kept open coz of the heat we have,but that also helps with getting it used to being outside,less hardening off to do.asbits getting wind,sun and even rain,which we had last night,has blown in and let things moist. Waiting for all this heat to die back a bit,as everything I have plantes so far has bulted due to the heat and lack of water. I plan to add some manure to the grow bags before replanting in 3-4 weeks. Give it chance to break down a little and start to help the compost hold more water.
Hi Ben, I did kale for the first time and yes, it did grow. But, we have a wild pheasant comming in the garden and he likes kale too .. so I still dont know how the Toscan black is. Oh well, I will just try again and cover it this time. Take care 🙂 I hope everybody will have a great start into the new garden year. 🌻
We have the same issue Marie - pheasants lurking around, though I've noticed they are no long here. I wonder if they now have more to eat elsewhere, so our kale will get some respite.
I plan to grow curly kale in pots or small containers so that I can pick them up and move them around the yard, so I can follow the sun, and shade. I'm wondering that if rain showers/storms are coming should I move the containers into a shed, or let them sit out in driving rain?
Hi Ben, I think I asked before but I can't not find my comment from last season. What kind of kale is it that you grow, the big leafy type. Thank you for all your help and videos!
Living on the coast in Britains most southerly point we get a lot of salt mists. I’m growing a heritage Hebridean Kale with purple leaves. (It originated in the 17th Century where it was a staple green in the northerly islands) It has survived the salt here but the 70 mph winds we’ve had this year has battered them a little. It tastes great btw.
Lovely informative video again - thanks Ben. I love Kale and grow Toscana type. However, I bought a couple of perennial kale cuttings off eBay about two months ago and they are now about 30cm tall and cant wait to try them. To solve my butterfly problem I have just bought a second hand poly tunnel which I have put on my plot purely for brassicas and I am going to cover it with butterfly netting. It fits perfectly and I can move it three times to give me a three year crop rotation. Just got to find the money for the netting now 😬🙂
Hi can you tell me where you purchased your premade wooden beds (4x4), and also where can I purchase your arbors that I see in those beds, Thanks for taking the time to reply, I'M ALWAYS LEARNING SOMETHING NEW. THANK YOU.
Hi Sharon. The premade beds are just pallet collars. These are widely available. I sourced mine on Facebook Marketplace, but you could also just search locally on Gumtree, Craigslist, Ebay etc. The arches are from Agrs: www.agrs.co.uk/products/elegance-round-arch
Hello, even without adding compost every year your soil is really fine and crumbly how did you manage to get it like that? Great site informative kind regards Gwen
Tried kale last year but the wood pigeons in our garden saw them as an all-you-can-eat buffet 🤦♀️ so they have survived but never really got started. Going to try again this year with a mesh covering!
Hello Ben. Loved the video but my question is about size of your beds please. I am about to start fresh in France and space is no issue. So I can go as big as I want. However I note note your beds are fairly small. What is the reason please?
The reason my beds are small is because I'm using pallet collars, which are a standard size (100x120cm). I like them because they are instant, cheap and so easy to set up. But I would certainly recommend going a bit bigger if you are making your beds from scratch. I would say up to 2m long would be fine - and about 1.2m wide. You want to be able to reach the middle of the bed without stepping on the soil ideally.
Ha, I had a little kale plant that got killed off, but it was growing back until today. I noticed something ate it almost all up. Didn't think of birds.
Hi! Do the leaves grow back on the stems. I grew black magic tuscan kale that are a metre high and just have leaves at the top now. Was wondering if best to uproot them for compost or continue growing thanks again
I loved gardening, but I felt like quitting, and for a few months, i did not care for my garden, watching his videos motivated me to start gardening again. 😇
That's so great to hear - hope you've made a start on it. :-)
Just work on a small area, then! People with large spaces often get overwhelmed by their space.
Sometimes walking away and letting it get out of hand is a path to great results
Whenever I have a day that could be better the immediate relief I get from Ben and his enthusiasm for the simplest forms of beauty (growing things) always, always, always picks me up and makes me smile again.
That's very kind of you to say Andrew - it's great to know the videos are motivating. Top man!
@@GrowVeg Dear Ben! So motivating!!! Yesterday (after your videos) I worked in my garden in the snow from 8 am until 2 pm and repaired my compost!!!! 😄😄😄😍
I mass plant kale and regularly pick baby leaves. The younger the leaves, the richer the flavour. You can also have lots of varieties in a small space!!!
That's a great way to grow them. :-)
I grow so much kale, every single year. I freeze regularly during the season to have plenty to eat over the winter.
That's the way to do it Kris. :-)
Thank you I was about to ask about freezing.
I harvest mine all thru the winter I love that’s it’s the only crop I can winter harvest 😁 I’m in zone 8 btw
Best kale video hands down! This man knows what he’s talking about and he’s helped my garden THRIVE! Thank you!
That's wonderful to hear - thanks so much for the feedback!
I live in tropical Indonesia and Kale thrives in the heat - even during the hot and humid dry season! It's the only brassica apart from Asian Greens I can grow in my area.
Gloria a ti,señor,por todo/ Viva Christo Rey
Cheers ! Its really a good sign that wildlife eats kale , the creatures know whats good to eat ,
i grew some kale ast year and it was so deliciousx
First year growing kale! 👍👍👍🇨🇦
Great stuff Frances - enjoy!
Ben has become my go-to veg guy. Thanks for the awesome and very helpful videos!
You’re very welcome - thank you for watching. 😀
Aphids have been terrible this year😢 I didn’t catch in time and had to cut my kale back but it has started to regrow I’ll keep a closer eye on it💚
Thank you! I’ll be growing mine in my Aerogarden, but was super clueless! My bunny is going to be pumped, and anytime I can skip the store, I’m pumped!
Deer also like to eat kale. I've learned that covering it with Tulle works well. It can be gotten either online or any fabric store and it's safe for the birds.
Great idea, thank you.
Thanks for this video. I was wondering when to pot up my kale and other brassicas.
Your joy and enthusiasm make gardening so appealing to your audience. I'm subscribed and wait with bated breath for future instalments. Much love from Ontario Canada!
That's so kind of you to say Mark. Thanks so much for watching. Looking forward to filming the next video tomorrow. :-)
I really enjoy your content! They're are comprehensive to garden newbies, well edited, and honestly so fun watch! Thank you for sharing your knowledge
You've very welcome Mandy - thank you for watching.
Excellent! I've been growing kale for several years now, and have learned a bunch here.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the video Ben. I grow kale all year round, because in Germany, where I live, you can only buy kale (Grünkohl) in the late Autumn after the first frosts. Please everyone pick a sturdy netting to cover your crops or birds can easily get tangled up in a loose floppy netting.
Yes, very good point - we don't want to harm the birds.
I buy fabric called tule.
I grew a marvelous and beautiful Kale last summer, which in August seemed to turn into a Caligula menace ~ huge and enjoyed tripping me as I tried to walk past it. I love them! And thank you for this marvelous video, so informative, and your garden is gorgeous after all your renovation and I love the seat/arbor.
Thanks so much. Sounds like your kale is quite the beast!
I love your enthusiasm ! I love cavolo Nero, it is so versatile. Mine from last spring has just started going to seed so I cut the tops off and we ate them like tiny tender sprouting broccoli shoots, they were delicious!
What a great idea - I bet they really were yummy!
@@GrowVeg gorgeous!
I am so in love with planting kale ,i can't wait ti grow some more,i feel good seeing the variety of them
Same, my garden is like 50% kale right now 😂
You can never have enough kale Lauren! :-)
@@GrowVeg i wish I had space 😪, I use to do alot before now I can because I am in a new space with no land to do so ,I will try to do some pot in the coming weeks ,very sad because I love to plant so much
Great info! I love kale! Here in the southern U.S., we get so many bugs. They thrive in the heat and humidity. I plant kale in the fall, pick from it over winter, and harvest it all in spring. It's replaced in the garden with chard, malabar spinach, and sweet potato greens.
What a spectacular succession of delicious greens!
Hi, Ben and thank you very much for posting the video with not only your knowledge but also your experience mainly , good suggestions you conveyed , thanks
You're very welcome. Thank you for watching. :-)
We have a batch of nero di toscana germinated and will refer to this incredible video as they grow 👍🏼
I grow dwarf curly kale here in Spain. It grows so well but needs to be a cool (hahaha) season crop. I'm still harvesting well from about 15 plants. Delish!
I love 😍 Kale Ben so I definitely have to grow it.
I grow so much kale, every single year. I freeze regularly during the summer so that I can have plenty over the winter.
I wanted to the same! Made the possible mistake of not blanching it first.going to have a few more goes off it before I rotate the standard blue.
This video was uploaded in perfect time. I'm about to sow my kale seeds indoors now. Thanks for the video.
That's great to hear - have fun growing it. :-)
Cảm ơn bạn đã chia sẻ video hữu ích cho người yêu thích làm vườn .
Không có gì.
another fantastic video! boy it seems like spring wont ever get here, cant wait to see how this year shapes up. thank you for being here for us all with your videos and inspiring us to make the world a beautiful place!
Thanks Mikki. Spring's not far off now I'm sure. :-)
Informative, to the point, and easy to watch!
Just bought and sown cavolo and also come collard greens.. which are also great and last forever..well almost
They are both awesome Claire!
Kale chips are also delicious!
They really are! :-)
Ive just sowed some red kale seeds, i hope im not too late!! August 6th.
I think you should be fine, especially if we get a bit or warmth over the next few weeks (fingers crossed!).
Trying out kale for the first time (purple kale). Will definitely find a way to cover them now 😊
I love your videos. Your enthusiasm is contagious!!
Cheers Andy!
thanks for the tips,… still watching from Kentucky,.. The USA 🇺🇸
Cheers Kelly - great to have you watching. :-)
Caterpillars won in my garden last year. Going to plant some sacrificial pots this year to feed them but cover my maincrop, as Gary said "a lesson learned..."
Rewatching this. So much makes more sense after my first season of growing. Onward! Love kale!
I've had zero pests on my kale all winter, but will be on the lookout now that spring is springing!
Keep an eye out!
Love kale, love your channel so much, I wish your videos were longer, your energy is just so good to watch
Thank you Kay. It's great to know you'd be happy with longer videos - we're trying to go a bit more down that road.
Nero kale is my best kale as well
The third video I’ve watched tonight. Amazing content and very helpful. Thank you!
Thanks so much! :-)
I love kale, especially dinosaur and scarlet kale. Bacillus thuringiensis is an excellent thing to use if you get cabbage moth caterpillars. I use diatomaceous earth when flea beetles attack. And I kill aphids with organic soft soap dilluted in water, with a shot of ethanol added. All work really well and best of all, they're all organic methods.
Great organic methods, thanks for sharing.
@@GrowVeg You're so welcome! :)
The only green I like cooked. But love it in my salads all summer. Just bought my kale seeds, so I will get them started. I sow it in spring and again in summer.
Great stuff Tonie. I love it salads too.
Brilliant video... You are always informative, enthusiastic and inspiring.Thank you!
Thanks so much Arijit. :-)
Love love your videos.. you break things down in such a clear simple way. Thank you. My kale from seeds outside got attacked by caterpillars so I’m going to try your tips to start indoors and hope for a fall/winter season
Hope you manage to dodge the caterpillars this time. :-)
Nero kale is lovely. And I like 'curly scarlet' too.. It steams dark and tender.. (Don't over do it) The lighter green varieties can feel a bit spikey!
Howdy Ben!🖐 Oh, how I love me some kale...all of them! 😃 I have several spring dino and dwarf blue curly kale seedlings almost ready to plant out in their beds. I share kale with several other folks who love it. I like to put kale in quiche, stews and soups too. And every now and then I make kale chips with the dino kale.🙂 I find it stores well in the freezer to use in dishes in the wintertime...if my kale plants get knocked out by ice.
Another great video, Ben! Your garden looks great! I am looking forward to the next one...putting in the new bed.🙂 Give Miss Rosie a pat for me! Have a great week gardening!👩🏾🌾
Great video, thank you. We had a big pile of cavelo nero on our plates this evening, picked from the garden half an hour before dinner! My favourite too. :-) This lot was from those planted in containers around 14 inches square. It's the first year Ive tried container growing it and it was very successful. Particularly easy to cover with mesh too.
It's such a versatile veggie for sure. I bet your dinner was delicious!
Ben I just recently picked up your book at my local library in South Carolina. It's one of the best books on gardening I've ever had the pleasure of reading. You did such an amazing job with the way the pictures are laid out and the way you presented the information, very concise. As I'm reading it, I can hear your cheerful knowledgeable voice in my head ☺️ It's the perfect book for new and old gardeners, I learned so much, I highly recommend it. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Oh wow - that's quite an endorsement. Thank you so much! I'm delighted you're enjoying it. :-)
I will be planting kale this year so a timely viewing! As well as in a veg bed l want to use it as a folige plant ariund a garden seating area with Fatsias, palms and bamboos - hopefully throw the pigeons off the scent.
That's a really smart idea - hope it works.
I had just bought kale seeds a few weeks ago. I didn't have any plants to keep during the winter months, which really bummed me out. Looking forward to trying to grow some myself soon
I love kale and I grow lot’s of Chinese kale 👍
you've inspired me to give kale a go, thanks.
Great to hear Donna!
I am finishing harvesting my kale and I'm so happy how much I got from 4 plants. watching this video clarified that I was indeed doing it right as a novice veg grower. so now whenever I need info or know how, I always check on your videos. thank you
That's really lovely to hear. So pleased you've got plenty from your kale. :-)
Oh Ben, you would not believe the quantity of kale I grow every year. I have a giant tortoise, & Kale is a massive part of his diet.
Last year I counted 145 Kale plants‼️🙈 which was ridiculous even for me 😂 I gave about 50 away & planted the rest, which has kept us going right up to today!
Unfortunately due to one of the many storms we’ve had here in Scotland, a big spruce tree fell over & landed smack into my huge brassica cage 😩 and today we finally got around to removing it. Needless to say, the cage is caput, but miraculously the Kale underneath survived 😂
Love your videos & your articles in Kitchen garden mag......keep them coming 😁
Thanks Lynn, appreciate that. Hope you manage to replace the cage without too much cost or hassle.
@@GrowVeg thank you 🙏
best page on UA-cam - have learnt so much, thank you!
We had a mass of whitefly last year, I learnt that grated Castile soap, 1 tablespoon dissolved in 1 quart of water and sprayed under the leaves early morning or evening when cooler massively reduced them. Took a while to find the soap but some supermarkets stock it in un-perfumed section.
What a great tip - thanks for sharing that Steve.
Great salad idea with kale : Chopped leaves with chopped cucumber clove of garlic chopped mix together with a grating of Parmesan and drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil... really delicious and great health benefits.
Sounds awesome!
Must try the red Russian and cavalo Nero this season for next winter . I love my Taunton Dean so will probably enjoy those other ones too. Must find a nice recipe for a green smoothie.
I just add a fistful of greens in with whatever fruit I have (to include a banana) and a tablespoon of mixed seeds.
In my country only have summer and rainy season so not difficult to grow kale, but mouse everywhere so put the planter bags in high position,,
I always like your enthusiasm. I encourage sparrows with feeding over winter and nestboxes. - they and the wasps seem to eat the caterpillars and many of the pests. If I find any, I put them in their food bowl.
That sounds like a superb nature-friendly approach.
Just did my kale today Ethiopian kale and Winter Blend I will do Cavel Nero later for a winter crop. 🙏🇺🇦☮️🌻
Great start there Ali. Love your sign off. Praying for peace too.
I think this year I will germinate my brassicas under large Tupperware bins in the raised vegetable beds. That seemed to be an excellent slug-proof method that worked for me a few years ago. I especially like the Dinosaur kale as well. Thanks for sharing Ben.
Dinosaur kale is the best of the best I reckon!
Kale crisps. Toss in 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, salt and garlic granules, 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder. 10 minutes in oven 180 degrees c. Delicious. Also works with tree cabbage.
Thank you for the recipe. I'll be trying it out with my tree cabbage 😋
Sounds incredibly tasty!
The song of pigeons and a great looking garden
Thank you 😊
Put some kale seeds in the ground today. I am expanding my garden. Its early spring here, hope when summer heat comes it will not kill my kale. Mulched it. I hope I wont over-water it. Only pests I face is aphids, but birds have been kind enough to devour them once they become aware of their presence. The birds don't eat the leaves though.
The birds can be pesky. Hope you get some lovely kale to harvest.
I'm doing a juice diet and it seems like I am constantly buying dinosaur kale. I have a good yard in Oregon to grow it and the weather is just starting to stay above freezing so I think now is a good time to start some seeds indoors. Thanks for this very informative video.
You can never have enough kale - I have it in most of my smoothies.
Hi Ben, I grew the Curly Kale last season for the first time and it was delicious, the only problem I had white fly so, bought some micromesh to cover to see if it helps this season. I hadn't realised I could have left he plants in through the Winter great video with lots of advice. Thanks for sharing and taking care 🙂
I hope this season's kale is pest free Christine.
@@GrowVeg can we grow this Kale vegetable in April or extreme Summer of 40 degrees Celsius in our home garden or not.?? I'm from south Asia where temperature in Summers is very high
The only way I can eat kale is in soup, but it's delicious there! I blanche and freeze it, then throw it in my winter soups. I suspect the freezing makes it tender, and the blanching removes the "green" taste that I'm so adverse to. I tried growing kale last year but the caterpillars got it. Maybe I'll try the purple kale this year.
Any way of getting those greens into you is great Marie.
I just finished sowing kale. Cavalo Nero!👍
Brill!
Never grown it before,bit I have been getting the 'grow your own' magazine which comes with seeds and it came with some. So we are going to try to grow it this autumn....it's curly kale so will see what happens. I have it in plug trays ATM and will pot on into 9cm pots so it can stay on my greenhouse shelving set,we have the door kept open coz of the heat we have,but that also helps with getting it used to being outside,less hardening off to do.asbits getting wind,sun and even rain,which we had last night,has blown in and let things moist.
Waiting for all this heat to die back a bit,as everything I have plantes so far has bulted due to the heat and lack of water. I plan to add some manure to the grow bags before replanting in 3-4 weeks. Give it chance to break down a little and start to help the compost hold more water.
Sounds like you're doing all the right things Cheryl. I hope the kale thrives for you.
Morning cheers my friend 🙃❤🌱☕
Cheers to you too Candi. :-)
try frying some of that cavolo nero in butter and trowing it in a nice pasta dish, it is a great way to add a bit of crunch
Hmmm... great idea!
I find encouraging wasps takes care of flea beetle and caterpillars 🐛
Hi Ben,
I did kale for the first time and yes, it did grow.
But, we have a wild pheasant comming in the garden and he likes kale too .. so I still dont know how the Toscan black is. Oh well, I will just try again and cover it this time.
Take care 🙂 I hope everybody will have a great start into the new garden year. 🌻
We have the same issue Marie - pheasants lurking around, though I've noticed they are no long here. I wonder if they now have more to eat elsewhere, so our kale will get some respite.
I can not stands slugs!!! Covered my babies(my 🌱) thanks for video😊
Hope you manage to avoid too much slug damage! :-)
This was so good! Thank you
I love kale since I can’t eat broccoli and cabbage that’s what I can stand from getting gas and heart burn. 😊👍👩🌾
Growing kale for my bearded dragon this year.
I plan to grow curly kale in pots or small containers so that I can pick them up and move them around the yard, so I can follow the sun, and shade. I'm wondering that if rain showers/storms are coming should I move the containers into a shed, or let them sit out in driving rain?
I would leave them outside in the driving rain. So long as there are drainage holes in the bottom of your containers they'll be just fine.
Look forward to the new bed next video😀thanks, jinxy
Cheers Jinxy. Filming this tomorrow. :-)
Hi Ben, I think I asked before but I can't not find my comment from last season. What kind of kale is it that you grow, the big leafy type. Thank you for all your help and videos!
The only kale I grow here is the Cavolo Nero kale, also called Black Tuscan.
great video thanks
neem oil is great
Living on the coast in Britains most southerly point we get a lot of salt mists. I’m growing a heritage Hebridean Kale with purple leaves. (It originated in the 17th Century where it was a staple green in the northerly islands) It has survived the salt here but the 70 mph winds we’ve had this year has battered them a little. It tastes great btw.
Hi Andrew. That's a good choice for your location, hopefully it'll recover from the battering.
Lovely informative video again - thanks Ben. I love Kale and grow Toscana type. However, I bought a couple of perennial kale cuttings off eBay about two months ago and they are now about 30cm tall and cant wait to try them. To solve my butterfly problem I have just bought a second hand poly tunnel which I have put on my plot purely for brassicas and I am going to cover it with butterfly netting. It fits perfectly and I can move it three times to give me a three year crop rotation. Just got to find the money for the netting now 😬🙂
I've also started off perennial kale. It's growing strong now - can't wait to plant it and try it.
Hi can you tell me where you purchased your premade wooden beds (4x4), and also where can I purchase your arbors that I see in those beds, Thanks for taking the time to reply, I'M ALWAYS LEARNING SOMETHING NEW. THANK YOU.
Hi Sharon. The premade beds are just pallet collars. These are widely available. I sourced mine on Facebook Marketplace, but you could also just search locally on Gumtree, Craigslist, Ebay etc. The arches are from Agrs: www.agrs.co.uk/products/elegance-round-arch
well done video! I watch for the enthusiasm and cheerfulness you effuse... gives me that boost I need to try new things ...like ...kale, maybe :-)
Haha - great stuff Elizabeth!
Hello, even without adding compost every year your soil is really fine and crumbly how did you manage to get it like that? Great site informative kind regards Gwen
Hi Gwen. I do add compost every year to help replace nutrients and keep soil structure nice and crumbly.
Fun to grow. Tastes like grass.
Yeah, fun because it does grow, no fuss. I just read an article that says it collects metal from the soil and is 'poison'.
I'm not sure about that Brendan. It's a great source of iron though, so I guess draws that up efficiently.
Tried kale last year but the wood pigeons in our garden saw them as an all-you-can-eat buffet 🤦♀️ so they have survived but never really got started. Going to try again this year with a mesh covering!
Try tulle. It works well.
What would pigeon stew a kale tast like love you garden Chanel
I reckon it's an option Patrick! Thanks for watching.
Hello Ben. Loved the video but my question is about size of your beds please. I am about to start fresh in France and space is no issue. So I can go as big as I want. However I note note your beds are fairly small. What is the reason please?
The reason my beds are small is because I'm using pallet collars, which are a standard size (100x120cm). I like them because they are instant, cheap and so easy to set up. But I would certainly recommend going a bit bigger if you are making your beds from scratch. I would say up to 2m long would be fine - and about 1.2m wide. You want to be able to reach the middle of the bed without stepping on the soil ideally.
Great video! Why don't you eat those pigeons and then they won't eat your kale. :) Pigeon stew with kale! haha. I hope you laugh. Cheers!
Not a bad idea!
Ha, I had a little kale plant that got killed off, but it was growing back until today. I noticed something ate it almost all up. Didn't think of birds.
Hi Can you grow in containers - if so which variety would you use? .....Thank you
I have seen kale growing in containers, including the 'Cavolo Nero' type which I love.
Hi! Do the leaves grow back on the stems. I grew black magic tuscan kale that are a metre high and just have leaves at the top now. Was wondering if best to uproot them for compost or continue growing thanks again
They will continue to grow until it’s time to flower in late spring, so keep on picking the leaves for now. 😀