Kale
Also called: كيل · ملفوف أجعد · Kale
The easiest brassica: it needs no head, shrugs off cold, and can be picked for months. Sow in October and you harvest sweet leaves from December to April.
The year at a glance
Each month is split in half. The outline marks now.
Stage by stage
Stage 1 of 7
Seed
Days 0–4
Seed
Days 0–4The seed sits in the soil taking up water and swelling. Nothing shows above the surface — everything is happening underground.
Do now
- Water lightly and often so the soil stays damp but never soaked. Letting it dry out between waterings kills the seed before it sprouts.
- Cover the surface with a thin layer of straw or compost to slow evaporation and steady the temperature.
- Label what you sowed and when. You will need the date to work out the harvest.
Watch for
- A hard crust forming on sandy soil after watering, which traps the sprout underneath. Break it gently.
- Ants carrying small seeds away — a very common problem in Qatari gardens.
In Qatar
Start in trays under shade in late September, like cabbage. Kale is cold-loving and slows to germinate above 30 °C.
Germination
Days 5–9The seed coat splits: a root pushes down and a shoot pushes up. The two seed leaves that appear are not true leaves — they are the seed’s own food store.
Do now
- Keep moisture constant. The first root is very fine and a single dry day can end the seedling.
- Remove any covering as soon as the first sprout shows, or it will stretch thin looking for light.
- Give bright, indirect light. Direct midday sun will scorch a new seedling within hours.
Watch for
- A long, thin, pale stem: the seedling is not getting enough light and will collapse.
- Sudden wilting with a pinched stem at soil level — damping off, caused by overwatering.
In Qatar
Fast and reliable at 25 °C. Keep the tray out of direct afternoon sun.
Seedling
Days 10–29The first true leaves appear, shaped differently from the seed leaves. The plant is now feeding itself and the roots are branching fast.
Do now
- Thin crowded seedlings and keep the strongest. Crowding gives you many weak plants instead of one good one.
- Start watering less often but more deeply, to drive the roots downwards.
- Harden the seedling off — build up its sun exposure over a week before transplanting.
Watch for
- Yellowing lower leaves: nitrogen shortage, very common in Qatar’s poor sandy soil.
- Small holes or chewed edges, meaning snails or young grasshoppers.
In Qatar
Harden off over a week and transplant in mid-October. Kale is tougher than cabbage and forgives a slightly late transplant.
Leaf growth
Days 30–54Leaves multiply fast and the rosette widens. All the energy goes into leaf — which is the crop itself, so speed is the goal.
Do now
- Feed nitrogen every ten days. Leafy crops want more of it than anything else you grow.
- Keep the moisture even. Any drought turns the leaves bitter and tough, permanently.
- Clear competing weeds. Leafy crops root shallowly and lose the competition easily.
Watch for
- Small, thick, dark leaves: the plant is thirsty or the soil is salty.
- Aphids gathering in the heart of the plant, where they are hard to wash out.
In Qatar
Kale builds a tall stem carrying its leaves. Keep the nitrogen coming: the more leaf it makes, the more you can pick.
Harvest
Days 55–150The leaves have reached size and are at their most tender. The window is short before the plant starts running to flower.
Do now
- Pick the outer leaves and leave the heart growing — you can crop the same plant for weeks.
- Harvest early in the morning. Leaves cut at midday wilt within an hour in Qatar’s air.
- Rinse in cold water straight after cutting and refrigerate immediately.
Watch for
- A stalk starting to rise from the centre: the plant is about to bolt — harvest everything now.
- Bitterness appearing suddenly after a hot spell.
In Qatar
Pick the lower, older leaves first and keep the tip. You can crop from December to April, and the cold of Al-Murabbaniya sweetens the leaves.
Bolting
Days 151–175Heat or lengthening days convince the plant its life is ending, so it rushes to make seed. The leaves turn bitter and tough.
Do now
- The leaves are past salad use. Cook them if the bitterness is bearable.
- Let the strongest plant finish flowering and collect its seed for another season.
- The flowers pull in beneficial insects, so leave some standing if you have another crop nearby.
Watch for
- Early bolting caused by sowing too late in the season — the commonest mistake in Qatar.
- Seed scattering itself and coming back as a weed next season.
In Qatar
March warmth turns the leaves bitter and sends up a flower stalk. Pick hard and finish the plant by April.
End of cycle
Days 176–200The plant’s cycle is over. The roots left behind break down and add organic matter if you leave them.
Do now
- Cut the plant at soil level and leave the roots in place to rot down.
- Sow a crop from a different family in the same spot to break the pest cycle.
- Add compost and cover the soil before the summer heat.
Watch for
- Planting the same family twice running in the same bed.
- Leaving the soil bare in the sun all summer.
In Qatar
Pull the plants in April. If you leave one for a fortnight, its yellow flowers draw bees and help the rest of the garden.
- Water
- Medium
- Salt tolerance
- Medium
- Heat tolerance
- Low
6 L/week in winter, 14 L in summer
Soil preparation
Work in 4 kg of compost per square metre. It loves nitrogen, so feed every two weeks, and it prefers uncompacted soil to about 25 cm.
Pests
Cabbage worm
- Sign
- Ragged holes and dark green droppings on the leaves.
- What to do
- Pick the caterpillars off by hand in the morning, or cover with mesh. Bt works if they spread.
Aphids
- Sign
- Grey colonies under the curly leaves, hard to wash out of the crinkles.
- What to do
- Spray potassium soap early, and soak the leaves in salted water before eating.
Common problems
Bitter, tough leaves
- Cause
- Heat above about 25 °C, or thirst. Kale sweetens in the cold and turns bitter in warmth.
- Fix
- Shade from March and pick only young leaves. Harvest hard before April.
Yellowing lower leaves
- Cause
- Nitrogen shortage after weeks of continuous picking.
- Fix
- Liquid feed every two weeks and remove the yellow leaves.
Picking
Pick the larger lower leaves first and keep the growing tip. You can take four or five leaves a week from each plant.
Keeping
A week in the fridge in a bag with a paper towel. It sweetens after freezing, and dries into crisp chips in the oven.