KALE-NERO di TOSCANA-BLACK TOSCANA or TUSCANY
KALE-NERO di TOSCANA-BLACK TOSCANA or TUSCANY
A$3.50
Availability: 16 in stock
Brassica oleracea
KALE-NERO di TOSCANA-BLACK TOSCANA or TUSCANY is very delicious heirloom is the only kale known to grow in Italy. Long, heavily blistered dark green (almost black) leaves produced in abundance from the center of the plant whose flavor is enhanced by frost. High in vitamin A, Young leaves are used like lettuce, older leaves cooked like cabbage. Great cooked with pasta or in soups etc.
Sow the seeds in a seedbed. The timing is not vital because kale will germinate in temps as low as 5°C & as high as 35°C. When the plant is about 22cm high & four leaves have developed (about 6 weeks after sowing) transplant them to their final positions. They should be planted slightly deeper than they grew in the seedbed.
| Germination Time (Days) | 6 – 12 |
| Sowing Depth (mm) | 10 |
| Plant Spacing (cm) | 40 – 60 |
| Row Spacing (cm) | 50 – 100 |
| pH | 6 – 7 |
| Soil Temperature (°C) | – |
| Hardy / Frost Tender | Hardy |
| Sow Direct / Raise Seedlings | Sow Direct / Raise Seedlings |
| Seed Preparation | – |
Scoville Heat Units (SHU)
Plant Height
60 - 90 cm (2 - 3 feet)
Season of Interest
Autumn, Spring
Temperature Range
10 - 25 °C
Determine / Indeterminate
Annual / Perennial / Biennial
Biennial (grown as annual)
Frost Hardy / Tender
Frost Hardy
Full Sun / Part Sun / Shade
Full sun to part shade
Sow Direct / Raise Seedlings
Raise seedlings
Soil
Rich, loamy soil with good drainage
pH
6.0 - 7.0
Soil Temperature
15 - 20 °C (59 - 68 °F)
Seed Preparation
No special preparation needed
Sowing Depth
1 cm (1/2 inch)
Plant Spacing
45 cm (18 inches)
Row spacing
60 cm (24 inches)
Watering
Regular, deep watering
Germination Time (Days)
7 - 14 days
Harvest Time (Days)
60 - 75 days
Good Companion Plants
Beets, Onions, Celery, Carrots
Bad Companion Plants
Strawberries
Pests
Cabbage loopers, Aphids, Flea beetles
Diseases
Clubroot, Black Rot, Powdery mildew
More About Us
When I started this journey in 2009, I found nothing existed commercially, that was reasonably priced and easy to use. There was a homemade system which I also found was not that user-friendly.
Then a friend of mine told me about a homemade method she used. However, when I tried her method, I found this also didn’t suit my needs, as it too had flaws that I considered where important. It did not keep vermin out, did not have a lockable lid and (to me) looked unsightly in the garden
