Everlasting Kale?

The garden holds many surprises.   I'm sharing my seed-saving tips for cabbage-type plants again, with an update on one incredible "dwarf" Blue Curled Kale plant.  

Our beautiful 3-year-old kale plant - July 25, 2013.

Never did I expect that this plant would still be with us, but it's here and going strong after 3 summers and 2 cold and snowy winters.  We’ve had 2 years of seed production from this everlasting friend, and its blossoms nourished many bees and pollinating flies again this spring.  Who would have known that a member of the humble cabbage family would have such longevity programmed within.  I'm wondering if the seeds will have this characteristic, too. 

Kale Blossoms

My kale friend thrives in a well-developed food web in our garden, where Mother Nature has some built-in pest controls.  This single plant fed generations of white cabbage butterflies; I use it as both a lure and a relocation plant, saving the new crop of kales in the vegetable garden from being ravaged by waves of voracious caterpillars.  Those "pesky" butterfly larvae feed the birds - this kale is regularly visited by cardinals and house finches, who gobble up the fat worms. Predatory wasps also hang out in the kale, where they lunch on plant-eating insects.  Today, I pay tribute to one surprising plant friend and agent of biodiversity in our organic gardens. 

SAVING SEEDS MAKES GARDENING AFFORDABLE

Kale seeds are ready for  harvest - July 18, 2012.

July 18, 2012:  My organic Blue Curled Kales shared a bountiful seed crop this week. I grow out just one member of the cabbage family each spring, since they happily cross-pollinate with their cousins. Kale is a biennial which grows a stout rosette the first year, then sends up a flowering stalk the second. I started these plants from Botanical Interests Seeds back in January of 2011. When 3 of these guys lived through last winter, I knew we’d get seeds this season.  

The tall flower stalks fed countless bees and butterflies this spring while adding structural interest in the flower garden. When kale is ripe, the pods turn brittle and shatter easily, releasing the dark colored seeds. Immature pods are soft and pliable. Resist the urge to harvest before the pods are brittle; they may mold due to their higher moisture content and when planted later on, fewer seeds will germinate.  To harvest, hold a bowl under the seed pod and rub it open to release the seeds into the bowl.  Remove the bits of pod, let the seeds sit in the bowl on your counter for a day or two to make sure they’re dry, then package in paper envelopes and label with seed type and date. When properly harvested and stored in dry, dark conditions like a closet shelf, kale seeds can be kept for up to 5 years.

Kale Seeds

I harvested nearly 1 oz. of seed in about 10 minutes last night.  That’s the equivalent of 9 seed packets in the store!  At $1.60 a pkt, I have $15 worth of seed in this batch.  As we learn to close the loop to our own sustainability through activities such as seed saving, gardening becomes both affordable and empowering.  Happy Harvesting!

If seed saving isn't your thing yet, seed from this very plant is currently for sale on my Healing Garden Herbs Etsy shop.  Happy Shopping!