Kale 'Thousand Head'

Kale 'Thousand Head'

Thousand Headed Borecole

2 grams

700 Seeds

€ 1.14

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• Cultivation
• Botanical Information

Kale 'Thousand Head' is a plain-leaved variety which is extremely reliable and prolific. It is particularly winter hardy and consequently a popular product with growers in northern England and Scotland.
The hardiness of kale is unexcelled by any other vegetable – there is none of the heartache of seeing all one’s hard work destroyed by a sharp and prolonged frost. Harvest the young shoots in early spring.

Thousand Head, or Thousand Headed Kale is a medium height variety, if left to grow it will reach a height of five feet with luxuriant, wide spreading foliage. Because of this is often used as a winter game cover.
It is very easy to grow, unlike other brassicas it will tolerate poor soil conditions and is rarely troubled by those dreaded enemies of the cabbage family – pigeons, club root and cabbage root fly.
With six times more calcium than broccoli and spinach, high levels of antioxidants and vitamins A, C and K, nutritionists would consider Kale as a 'super-food'.

As a 'cut and come again' crop you can start removing leaves when the plant is just 5cm high. The new leaves will continuously form. Alternatively wait till October before you start removing tender leaves from the top of the plant. Once the main crown has been harvested side shoots will form which will be ready to harvest from February to May. Pick shoots that are 10 to 15cm (4 to 6in) long and still young.

Kale it is easy to grow throughout the winter months, their attractive leaves make them very useful in potagers. This hardy crop can provide nutritious leaves even in the depths of winter. Mature plants survive to -12°C (10°F) or below. Mark the site so you can find the fresh greens under the snow.

Prepare the site:
There is an ideal soil and site for Kale but rest assured it will grow in almost all conditions, even part shade. It will produce a good crop provided that the drainage is satisfactory. For the ultimate crop, grow in full sun in a soil that was enriched with compost or manure the previous season.
As the seedlings are not transplanted until June or July, it is usual to use land which has recently been vacated by peas, early potatoes or other early summer crops. Kale benefits from additional feedings of liquid fertilizer during the growing season; the flavour is improved if the plants grow quickly.

Sowing: Sow in spring and autumn
Sow the seeds in a seed bed from April onwards. The timing is not crucial because kales will germinate in temperatures as low as 5°C (42°F) and as high as 35°C (95°F). That's an enormous range for any vegetable. The trick is to time the planting so the kale matures in cold weather.
Kale does not tolerate heat, so direct seed or transplant kale so that it comes to harvest before day time temperatures exceed 26°C (80°F).
Sow kale under cover in autumn for baby leaves after four to six weeks, or directly outdoors for an over-wintering crop.

Sow the seeds about 1.5cm (½in) deep in rows which are 22cm (9in) apart. Germination will take about 10 days. When the plant is about 22cm (9in) high and four leaves have developed (about 6 -8 weeks after sowing) transplant them to their final positions.
They should be planted slightly deeper than they grew in the seed bed. Spacings are 45cm (18in) apart with rows the same distance apart. Water the young plants in dry weather.

Cultivation:
Almost no care is required because these are one of the strongest and most disease resistant of all vegetables. Remove yellowing leaves which may appear round the base. Keep the weeds under control with regular hoeing. As winter approaches earth up plants to protect against frost and wind rock. Mulch thickly when the ground freezes and you can harvest again in early spring.

Harvest: Matures around 50 days from transplant.
Wait until the plants are touched by a frost to sweeten the taste. When the leaves have experienced a cold snap, they wrinkle and curl and strengthen greatly, creating a more satisfying, textural leaf. Some of the tastiest kale is harvested under a foot of snow!
Pluck individual leaves as you need them; one or two leaves for each serving. Avoid cutting the developing bud at the centre of each plant.

Companion Planting:
Beets, Celery, Cucumbers, Dill, Garlic, Hyssop, Lettuce, Mint, Nasturtium, Onions, Potatoes, Rosemary, Sage, Spinach, Swiss chard

Remember!
Rotate your crops, planting brassicas, of any kinds, in the same ground more often than once every four years runs the risk of club root infestation and once you have it, the ground is useless for up to a decade. Don't take needless chances, even with "catch crops" of radishes.
Because Kale eats up a lot of growing space if planted in a bed with the other brassicas, you may prefer to grow kale in a bucket or other generous planter, separate from your main crops. The soil can then be easily replaced annually, with old soil being dumped far from any growing area.

Culinary Use:
Kale is usually harvested over a short season, the leaves cluster around a tender shoot, making it surprisingly good to eat and not unlike sprouting broccoli. Test the stem (does it snap cleanly?) and, if succulent, prepare and serve as you would broccoli.
Once Kale matures it will be tougher, use in dishes such as Caldo Verde ("green soup"), a classic Portuguese dish that combines kale with potatoes and sausage.
In terms of robustness of flavour and texture, the ranking of kale goes: Cavolo Nero, Curly Kales, Red, Thousand-head and then Red Russian, with the latter needing least cooking (and suffering most from over-cooking). For a quick vegetable accompaniment, steam for just a few minutes. For soups, stews and sauces needing something more robust, go for Cavolo Nero.


Nomenclature:
Kale is known botanically by the name Brassica oleracea variety acephala which translates to mean "cabbage of the vegetable garden without a head." (Cabbage plants are named Brassica oleracea variety capitata, which translates to "cabbage of the vegetable garden with a head.")
Kale is a Scottish word derived from coles (Greek) or caulis (Roman), terms that refer to the whole cabbage-like group of plants. The German word kohl has the same origin.
Kale is also called borecole, the word comes from the Dutch word ‘boerenkool’. Boer meaning farmer or peasant and ‘kool’ (cole) meaning cabbage.

History:
With their loose leaves, Kale are the most primitive members of the cabbage family and considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms.
Their origins are in the eastern Mediterranean area and Asia Minor. Kales have been food crops since about 2000 B.C. In Europe, kale was the most common green vegetable until the end of the Middle Ages.

Classification:
The species Brassica oleracea contains a wide array of vegetables including broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, and Brussels sprouts. The cultivar group ‘acephala’, meaning ‘non-heading’, also includes spring greens and collard greens, which are extremely similar genetically.
Although kale varies in colour from pale yellowish to deep green through deep steely blue to purplish red and almost black, it is usually classified by the leaf form and texture. The blue-green colour of some varieties is associated with greater cold tolerance.
Scotch types have very curled and wrinkled leaves, Russian (or Siberian) types are almost flat with finely divided edges, while Italian heirloom ‘Lacinato’ is in a class of its own. Japanese kale, also known as Ornamental Brassicas is primarily used for decorative or ornamental purposes.