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Post by littleminnie on Jan 31, 2014 21:13:56 GMT -5
I always direct seeded my kale. I used a mix for baby leaves and mostly Red Russian for bigger leaves. This year I have the idea to transplant and I am trying to gauge how many plants I will need in a bed. I will be using white mulch and would like them pretty close together. Do you think 10 inches apart per row is good?
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Post by flowerweaver on Jan 31, 2014 21:29:24 GMT -5
littleminnie I transplant all of my varieties of kale about 10 inches apart and they are not touching. Remember though, everything here in the land of no rain is a bit stunted by comparison to its northern counterparts. So at that spacing your Red Russian might touch. The reason I start all my brassicas in the greenhouse and transplant them out is the field mice will eat the sprouts to nubs if I don't set out fairly substantial transplants. It's extra work, but it does make for easier calculations and a neat looking bed.
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Post by steev on Jan 31, 2014 21:32:39 GMT -5
I always transplant kale, but at 12" because that's the spacing of emitters in my drip-tube.
Like Flowerweaver says, the rodents and birds are very fond of teeny, tender seedlings.
Also, futzing with seeding and up-potting seedlings in Oakland keeps me busy in my spare time when I'm not on the farm. I might change my act, were I on the farm more, as I will be eventually.
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Post by billw on Jan 31, 2014 22:05:41 GMT -5
We transplant through the winter when its slow to start them from seed. Direct seed the rest of the year.
24" spacing in row, 36" between rows, no supplemental watering. They fill the space by summer.
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Post by steev on Jan 31, 2014 22:10:31 GMT -5
It must be nice to live where Nature waters crops, but at least I have a year-round "farmer's" tan.
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Post by Leenstar on Jan 31, 2014 22:18:41 GMT -5
I have always transplanted kale. I don't use it as a salad green I try for about 10-12 inch spacing. I'm just small time though and find that about 4-6 plants produce plenty of the kale for what my family will eat.
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Post by flowerweaver on Jan 31, 2014 22:38:48 GMT -5
We eat a lot of different kinds of kale cooked various ways. We plant about 24 plants for just the two of us and it's not enough! I like Red Russian sauteed with garlic and red potatoes; curled Scotch or Toscano lightly steamed and tossed into a cold salad with roasted garlic, tamari, honey, and red pepper flakes; and recently have been crisping it on high heat, turning it with tongs in garlic oil until it's almost crunchy but not burned. Too bad so many folks think it's just for garnish. It's definitely my favorite vegetable.
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Post by steev on Feb 1, 2014 0:22:03 GMT -5
Kale "chips" are lately very fashionable in the SF Bay Area.
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Post by billw on Feb 1, 2014 1:10:14 GMT -5
 Is that some kind of mulch?
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Post by steev on Feb 1, 2014 2:54:48 GMT -5
Not as dry as it's been this year.
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Post by ottawagardener on Feb 1, 2014 9:01:18 GMT -5
I do both. Here, I transplant kale to get a jump start because of pest pressure.
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Post by oxbowfarm on Feb 1, 2014 18:29:57 GMT -5
I transplant all my kale at 12". Really love Starbor lately, but theres isn't any to be had anywhere this year apparently.
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Post by littleminnie on Feb 1, 2014 19:45:27 GMT -5
Ok. I like 10 inches because my foot is 10 inches long and so it is easy measuring when using a jab planter.  |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Feb 1, 2014 21:17:37 GMT -5
Ok. I like 10 inches because my foot is 10 inches long and so it is easy measuring when using a jab planter. I end up measuring most things in the garden in shoes. My 40 feet long irrigation pipe are only 35 shoes long. |
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Post by steev on Feb 2, 2014 23:43:29 GMT -5
I plant things like trees by strides, always having my measuring equipment with me.
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