How to Grow Kailans USA
On this page
Kailan (Brassica oleracea Alboglabra Group) — annual or biennial grown as an annual.
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Kailan (Brassica oleracea Alboglabra Group)
2 sources cited · Verified
At a Glance
Quick Facts
| Factor | Value |
|---|---|
| Soil texture | clay, loam, sand or high organic matter (NC State) |
| Drainage | good drainage |
| Lifecycle | annual or biennial grown as an annual |
| Edible parts | leaves, stems, flower buds |
Soil & Growing Conditions
Water: consistent moisture, good drainage (NC State)
Growth Stages
| Stage | BBCH | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sowing | 0 | Direct sow or plant seedlings after the last spring frost; spacing 12in to 3ft depending on cultivar (NC State). |
| Leaf growth | 3 | Thick, glossy blue-green leaves develop; best growth between 64-82°F, more heat-tolerant than other kales (NC State). |
| First harvest | 8 | Young leaves harvested 50-70 days after sowing (NC State). |
| Flower bud harvest | 6 | A second harvest is taken once flower buds appear; avoid delaying, as stems turn woody. Left unharvested, the flowers attract bees (NC State). |
Harvest & Storage
When to pick: Young leaves harvested 50-70 days after sowing, and again once flower buds appear. Avoid harvesting too late, as the stems become woody (NC State).
Diseases
Pests
Kailan, Leaf to Harvest
Plan your Kailans planting
When to sow and plant Kailans depends on your own frost dates. Check the USA vegetable planting calendar. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.
Growing Kailan in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
Sources
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Height 1-2ft, width 1-1.5ft. Full sun (6+ hours) or partial shade (2-6 hours). Soil: clay, loam, sand or high organic matter; neutral pH 6.0-8.0; good drainage with consistent moisture. Best grown between 64-82°F, tolerates summer heat better than other kales. Direct sown or planted as seedlings; in North Carolina, plant after the last frost in spring. Spacing 12in to 3ft depending on cultivar. Thick, glossy blue-green young leaves harvested in 50-70 days, and again once flower buds appear; avoid harvesting too late to prevent woody texture. PESTS: flea beetles, diamondback moth, borers, cabbage looper, aphids, grasshoppers, crickets. DISEASES: damping-off is the primary concern; good drainage helps keep this disease at bay. Suitable for coastal, piedmont and mountain regions of NC. Pesticide spraying not recommended for edible plants; flowers attract bees.
These source is specific to this region. The full list of 2 sources behind this guide (NC State Extension, Royal Horticultural Society) is in the references of our UK guide to kailan; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What problems affect kailan?
Our data links 1 disease and 4 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.
Plan next season before the problems start
Almost everything on this page resolves to your own frost dates rather than the calendar — the last spring frost moves by roughly two months between zone 3 and zone 10. The USA Garden Planner works from your zone so the timing is already decided before the season starts.
Get the USA Garden Planner →Instant PDF download · Written for US growing conditions
How this guide is put together
The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against USDA hardiness-zone and frost-date data, with Cooperative Extension sources cited directly where one exists for a crop. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.
Related Problem Guides
Last verified 2026-09-02
Related guides
More from the same group (brassicas & mustards):
Growing advice for your part of the USA
Timing and conditions change a lot inside one country. These guides cover frost dates and growing seasons region by region.
Where To Go From Here
Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.
Keep going
Plan the next step
Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.