Harvesting kale: whole plant, or bit by bit?

July 21, 2016 8:10 AM

I put some kale plants in my very small back yard patch this summer and it's flourishing. The question is simple: when I want some kale, do I cut down one whole plant, or do I trim a branch here, a branch there, off several plants?

I have an idea it might damage the plants if I remove a couple of branches at a time, but I'm not sure this is well founded. And if anything, the kale has done so well it might benefit from a little thinning out.

posted by zadcat to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

Best answer: Leave the plants. Break leaves off of the central stem, starting from the bottom. Let the top leaves keep growing.
posted by mneekadon at 8:13 AM on July 21, 2016 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Leaf here and there, is how I've done it.
posted by The otter lady at 8:13 AM on July 21, 2016

Best answer: Definitely just take a few leaves as needed. You can harvest a lot of leaves from kale and it will come back, so don't worry about over harvesting.
posted by ssg at 8:14 AM on July 21, 2016

... And yes, only harvest a few leaves at a time from each plant.
posted by mneekadon at 8:14 AM on July 21, 2016

Best answer: Cut the leaves about 2-3 inches from the base of the stalk. Leave the smaller ones alone. It'll grow back like crazy. I've been able to get several pounds of kale each week from my 15 plants or so.
posted by astapasta24 at 8:21 AM on July 21, 2016

This year I ripped some neglected kale plants out of one of my garden beds that I had planted 3 years prior, they were still humming along producing new leaves out of their huge meandering woody stalks, just at a reduced rate.
posted by contraption at 9:32 AM on July 21, 2016

If the winter is mild enough, your kale will survive, and go to seed in the spring, providing you with a whole new crop the following year.
posted by SobaFett at 10:50 AM on July 21, 2016

What I've been doing is breaking off a few leaves at a time, starting from the bottom, and things seem to be fine.

Also: kale is a very common food in the Netherlands (which is where I live). Common wisdom here is that night-frost in winter is beneficial to the plants, since it triggers a reaction that improves the taste.
posted by rjs at 12:11 PM on July 21, 2016

Response by poster: rjs, that's as may be, but in Canada when things freeze up they really freeze up.
posted by zadcat at 5:47 PM on July 21, 2016

Best answer: I'm also in Canada and can definitely say that some frost at night is no impediment to your continued kale harvest. I'd say kale is fine down to about -8C or -10C overnight without protection and colder if you protect it somewhat. It might look frozen, but it will be fine once it thaws. So you can definitely keep your kale going for at least part of the winter.
posted by ssg at 3:57 PM on July 22, 2016

Response by poster: Oh, very good news. I should be kaled up for months yet. Thanks!
posted by zadcat at 5:55 PM on July 22, 2016