Fenton Friday: Kale (What I Grew This Semester)

'Rubybor' Kale by Lauren Bentley

Guest Post By Lauren Bentley

Throughout my time at the Fenton Community Plot, I grew two rows of kale. I started them from seed in mid-March. One row was purple kale 'Rubybor' (an All-American Selections winner), while the other was a more traditional green variety -- 'Dwarf Blue Curled Vates'. Given the harsh winter, it was good to pick a cold-weather crop.

I have limited experience with gardening, so I was a little apprehensive that I wouldn’t know exactly what to do, but it was much easier than I thought!

Also, when I have grown something in the past, it has mostly been flowers. I have never had to grow a vegetable to harvest, so I was very excited about seeing the end result.

 'Dwarf Blue Curled Vates' Kale by Lauren Bentley

Over the past few months, there has been very inconsistent weather, which made me worried about how well the kale would sprout. There were a few very hot, 90 degree days, which were the biggest concern. However, the kale ultimately persevered and turned out very well. We put a covercloth over it to insulate from the freezing nights and the hottest days, as well as to keep the insects from chewing on it.

I started to see small leaves after about the first two weeks. I watered on Fridays when I made it down to the plot. When I first spread the seeds, I put a few of them too close together which meant I had to do some thinning throughout the gardening process.

We also did some other work while at the plots, such as decorating the bulletin boards and spreading new woodchips along the garden path in the meantime.

Today, I officially harvested the kale and left with a bag of it. The traditional green kale turned out much better than the purple one, as the leaves were bigger and seemed healthier.

Also, one of the purple kale plants was missing, so I think it might’ve been eaten by an animal (rabbit?). Overall, I’m very happy with how my planting experience turned out.

Kale was a fantastic beginner crop for me, and I highly recommend trying it for anyone who is just beginning their gardening journey, especially in the winter.

What are you growing and harvesting in your garden this week?

About the Author:
Lauren Bentley is an intern this semester with Washington Gardener Magazine. 

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 15th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton"  into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).