Harvesting: Harvest leaves when they are up to 10 inches long. Younger, shorter leaves have the mildest flavor. Pick lower leaves first, and the plant will continue to produce new upper leaves.

The ornamental kale (also known as flowering kale) has been bred to look like a pretty, colorful cabbage, which makes sense since they’re related. Ornamental kale is still edible, but you probably wouldn’t enjoy it much, as the plant is fairly tough and chewy.

Can I eat ornamental cabbage and kale? Yes, in theory you could eat ornamental cabbage and kale but it tastes very bitter and was not grown for eating. If you are looking for cabbage and kale to eat, it would be better to plant or purchase edible varieties.

While considered an annual, ornamental kale is botanically a biennial. This means that it produces foliage the first year and flowers the second year. Most valued for its foliage, ornamental kale is grown as an annual. Most garden centers offer selections of ornamental kale.

Ornamental kale and cabbage are in the same family. Kale grows in all USDA Hardiness Zones. It prefers a location with full sun and organically-rich soil that drains well. The ideal pH is between 6.0 and 7.5.

Flowering Kale Care Must-Knows Keep flowering kale well-watered, delivering an inch or so of water a week. Plants begin to develop their colorful foliage when temperatures dip below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Once acclimated to a site, flowering kale can withstand frost.

You can eat the stems or discard them—it’s up to you. If you cook the kale, the stems will become more tender. When the weather warms, your kale plants will send up flower stalks and produce pretty yellow flowers. The plants become ornamental in the garden, and you can cut the flowers for arrangements.

So How Long Does a Kale Plant Live? Normally Kale is biennial, so it will only live for two years. But there are Kale variants, that can live more than two years like Tree Kale for example.

In USDA Hardiness Zones 7-10, biennial kale will continue to produce edible leaves throughout the winter. While in colder zones, these plants will go dormant during the winter – which means their leaves may die back, but their root systems will remain alive.

ANSWER: Kale will grow throughout the summer in USDA hardiness zones 7 through 10, but in hot weather, it tends to become tough and bitter. For best results, kale should be allowed to mature in cooler weather.

Fertilizer. When planting, mix fertilizer into the top 3 to 4 inches of soil. Then, feed your kale throughout the growing season, following the instructions on your fertilizer label. Use compost or a high-nitrogen vegetable fertilizer.

Hardy kale is the most reliable crop of the cabbage family. It stands up to frosts with ease and thrives in just about any well-drained, fertile soil. Give it a sunny position in order to encourage stronger growth during the dark winter months. Like cabbage, kale grows best when well-fed.