Congratulations on your new plants!
We know you’re going to fall in love with how easy it is to grow food with our proven system.
As promised, here’s some additional information for you regarding your plants:
Water
Water is the most critical input for your plant. We recommend checking your plants every other day (temperatures below 75F) for moisture content by feeling the bottom of the bag for moisture or using the finger method explained on the bag tag. If the temperature is above 75F, the plants need to be checked every day.
Kale
Welcome to the world of superfoods! I successfully grew a single kale plant from spring until December of last year. The trick is to keep it out of the heat of summer by placing it in a spot that is exposed to the eastern sun in the morning and shaded from the sun in the heat of the afternoon. You won’t need to worry about that until the days stay above 80F though.
Cabbage Moths are the worst enemy of kale. Floating row covers are a great way to prevent them from accessing the plants. These can be purchased from us for an additional cost. Bt Bacillus thuringiensis (say that 3x fast) is also an effective organic treatment.
Here’s a link to a recipe for Kale chips (Our family loves these!):
https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Kale-Chips-511709
Harvesting (The best part of the process!)
If you harvest it, I recommend harvesting no more than 30% of the plant at one time. I typically harvest 4-6 leaves per plant every other week. If the plant is growing faster due to favorable weather conditions, then feel free to harvest more often. Also, the bottom leaves are the older leaves on the plant. I recommend harvesting them first because the leaves tend to lose flavor as they mature. By the end of the season, your plant will look like a mini-palm tree…in Minnesota!
Fun Fact! Kale is a biennial. This means it won’t go to seed (or at least it shouldn’t) for this year.
My mission is to help you become successful at growing food. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to call, email or text. Be sure to check out the website for updates on plants coming out in the near future as well as useful information for growing food.
Thanks again for your purchase! Cheers to growing food!
Andy — aka MEG’s dad aka “Plant whisperer of Minnesota”