Tuscan Kale

Family: Brassicaceae/Cruciferae (Mustard & Cabbage family)
Genus: Brassica
Species: oleracea
Varieties: ‘Toscano’, ‘Nero di Toscana’

This is the season when the seed catalogs hold me in their thrall. Over the years, however, I’ve gradually learned to resist the charms of astounding new varieties of this and that, choosing instead to stay with the tried-and-true. Call me unimaginative, if you will—but also call me practical. I know what I like and what I have time to grow now, in my busy “middle” years. I am particularly fond of cool-season, sturdy greens that make for tasty eating but still hold their own among other, non-edible ornamentals, where I’m likely to plant them. Perpetual Swiss chard and ‘Bright Lights’ are favorites, but so are the kales. I’m least fond of the very curly, decorative types that sprout up in garden centers every fall. They seem to me to be fussy-looking. But give me the non-curly varieties and we’re in business. The two kales featured this month both have leaves that are slightly wrinkly all over but not fringe-y on their edges. ‘Toscano’ is medium-green and ‘Nero di Toscana’ is much darker. They’re both beautiful—and full of flavor.

Two crops of kale a year are easy to handle. It’s nice to seed them in July, take delight in them as they grow, and then enjoy their sweetness after a freeze. They’re less likely to suffer from pests then, too—although kales are generally ignored by many pests that plague other members of the cabbage family. Shhhh. Don’t tell the flea beetles or the cabbage worms or the root maggots. What they don’t know won’t hurt your kale.

Kale is wonderful to eat in the summer, too. For that, plant seeds in May, directly in the ground. You won’t believe how quickly they’ll sprout. Give them a sprinkling of complete fertilizer after they’ve formed true leaves, water them consistently—and harvest at will by taking the outer leaves when you need them. Don’t forget to build a tasty meal around the seedlings you thin out. Kale is less likely to bolt in our cool summers than in other areas, although your crop planted in May will be more prone to that than the crop you plant in July.

By rights, this time of year kale should be between crops. You wouldn’t expect to spot seedlings. And yet that’s just what more than 75,000 of us saw at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show in Seattle during the first week of February. Tuscan kale was featured in The Garden of Eatin’, the display garden presented by the Garden Writers Association of America to promote their “Plant A Row For The Hungry” program. In addition to kale, the garden contained lettuce and chard and beets and artichokes and sunflowers—in bloom!—and violet beans and scarlet runners—in bloom and bearing beans. None of the vegetables looked at all like they had any clue it was February. They were grown from seed and carefully nurtured to perform on a set schedule just for the GWAA garden at the Show, by the Propagation Group of the Master Gardeners of Pierce County. It was an awesome display.

The Master Gardeners started the process last August. They use a greenhouse complex at the Research Station, and they aren’t exactly novices. Their Propagation Group starts thousands of plants from seed every year and uses other techniques to propagate thousands more, including roses and fuchsias and houseplants and succulents—the list goes on and on. In addition to selling many at their annual plant sale, these Master Gardeners use their plants and the proceeds from them to support community garden initiatives and several projects to feed the hungry.

The public was impressed with the Garden of Eatin’ and rewarded it with the coveted People’s Choice award. The Show judges gave it a Gold Medal. The consensus was that it was a “real” garden, one attainable by the typical home gardener. And at its foundation was a very real and worthy purpose.

Those of you who visited no doubt noticed the straw bales bordering the front that were covered with flower and vegetable starts. Master Gardeners here are certain to receive inquiries from the public about how that was done. Rose Marie Nichols-McGee, the designer of the Garden of Eatin’, has posted on the Web her inspiration, research, and technique. You can read that at http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/strawbales.htm.

As a member of GWAA, I was able to help just a little with setting up the Garden of Eatin’ in advance of the Show’s opening. I also had the opportunity to visit with several Pierce County Master Gardeners. I came away with a sense of awe at how the entire Show comes together—ask me sometime, I’ll be happy to share what I had the good fortune to see—and an abiding respect for the many people who give of their time to grow good gardens and share their knowledge and talents with others.

More fast-breaking news from the Meyer lemon front. It turns out that more people grow them than I ever imagined! Great stories are coming in. I wasn’t able to assemble them in time for this month’s column—but check back in April. In the meantime, watch for John Van Miert’s book, Garden Sense—coming soon to bookstores and garden centers near you. First appearance is at the Garden Spot Nursery in Bellingham on February 28 at 9 a.m.