When to Plant Kale in the UK
On this page
- Kale (Brassica oleracea Acephala Group)
- Watch: Growing Kale at Home
- Quick Facts
- At a Glance
- Regional Planting Calendar
- Does Kale Regrow After Cutting? (And Is It Too Late t...
- Growth Stages
- Soil & Growing Conditions
- Harvest & Storage
- Companion Planting
- Diseases
- Pests
- Kale, Sowing to Cut-and-Come-Again
- Plan your Kale planting
- Growing Kale in another region
- References
- Frequently Asked Questions
In the UK, kale is sown early March to late June, planted out mid April to late July, and is ready to harvest 50–55 days after sowing.
Timing is the decision that matters most in the UK: there are 4 separate regional planting out windows, ranging from mid April in Southern England to late May in Scotland.
The short answer
- Sow
- Early March to late June
- Plant out
- Mid April to late July
- Ready in
- 50–55 days
- Site
- 4+ hours of sun, soil pH 6–6.5
- Biggest risk
- Club root
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Kale (Brassica oleracea Acephala Group)
Also known as: Leaf Cabbage, Curly Kale · 16 sources cited · Verified
Watch: Growing Kale at Home
A quick SoilCommander video on growing kale at home in the UK.
Quick Facts
At a Glance
Regional Planting Calendar
| Region | Sow | Plant out |
|---|---|---|
| Southern England | early March to late June | mid April to late July |
| Midlands derived | mid March to late June | early May to late July |
| Northern England derived | early April to mid June | mid May to mid July |
| Scotland derived | early April to early June | late May to early July |
Rows marked derived are interpolated between regions our sources do state, because no source we consulted gives a figure for that region specifically. They are deliberately wider to reflect that uncertainty.
Southern England - detail & sources
Southern England (RHS baseline): sow indoors from March, outdoors March-June; transplant mid-April to end July once seedlings are 10-15cm tall (~6 weeks post-sow). Net immediately against cabbage caterpillars/root fly/pigeons; sweetens after frost.
Midlands - detail & sources
Midlands: sowing window starts ~2 weeks later and ends ~1 week earlier than Southern England, reflecting a shorter frost-free season (Met Office regional climate normals, south-to-north UK gradient). Transplant ~6 weeks after sowing, early May to late July.
Northern England - detail & sources
Northern England: sowing window starts ~1 month later than Southern England and ends earlier, reflecting a later last-frost date and shorter growing season (Met Office regional climate normals). Transplant mid-May to mid-July.
Scotland - detail & sources
Scotland: the latest and narrowest sowing/transplant window of the four UK regions, reflecting the latest last-frost dates and shortest frost-free season nationally (Met Office regional climate normals). Kale''s exceptional hardiness (to about -5°C) still makes it one of the most reliable winter crops this far north.
Does Kale Regrow After Cutting? (And Is It Too Late to Sow?)
Does it regrow after cutting? Yes -- that's the whole point of "cut-and-come-again" harvesting. NC State Extension confirms the method directly: "pick the big, outer leaves and let the center continue to grow." Take a few of the largest, lowest leaves at a time rather than stripping the whole plant, and it keeps producing for months.
Is it too late to sow? Kale is unusually forgiving on timing because it's genuinely hardy -- RHS records it surviving down to around -5°C, and a cold snap sweetens rather than damages the leaves. Two real windows exist, not one: sow in spring for a summer crop, or again in late summer (roughly 6 weeks before your first autumn frost) for a crop that often tastes better, since cool autumn weather is exactly what kale prefers.
Growth Stages
| Stage | BBCH | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sowing & Establishment | 0 | Sow indoors from March onwards in modular trays, or outdoors March to June in shallow drills, at a PLANTING DEPTH of 1cm (RHS). Sow thinly in a seedbed 10-15cm apart and thin to the same spacing, or direct-sow three seeds every 45cm and thin to the strongest seedling per station; for cut-and-come-again salad crops, sow more thickly at roughly 7.5cm spacing (RHS). Transplant out in late spring/early summer once seedlings reach 10-15cm tall, SPACING mature plants 30-60cm apart depending on variety with a minimum of 45cm between rows (RHS). Dig in well-rotted manure or garden compost before planting; kale "prefers rich, well-drained, firm soil, but will grow in most soil types and conditions" (RHS). |
| Vegetative Growth & Transplanting | 3 | Net plants immediately after transplanting with fine-mesh insect-proof netting supported on hoops or canes to keep off cabbage caterpillars, birds/pigeons and cabbage root fly (RHS) -- young transplants are most vulnerable to root fly and flea beetle at this stage. Water regularly while plants establish so the soil does not dry out; once established, kale generally needs watering only during prolonged dry spells (RHS). Feeding "isn''t usually needed, except on poor soils or when growing in containers" -- apply a nitrogen-rich organic fertiliser if needed (RHS). |
| Leaf Development | 7 | Plants bulk up into a rosette of leaves on a thickening central stem, growing to 30-90cm tall depending on variety -- kale does not form a head, unlike cabbage. Keep netting in place and check under it regularly for cabbage caterpillars, flea-beetle peppering on young leaves, and mealy cabbage aphid colonies on the growing points, which can distort growth and make leaves inedible (RHS). Continue watering during dry spells; once well established, kale copes with dry conditions much better than most brassicas. |
| Harvest — Cut-and-Come-Again | 8 | Begin picking mature plants from September onwards, taking two or three of the lower leaves from each plant at a time (RHS); regular picking encourages more leaves to grow, and the whole rosette can also be cut to resprout. Kale is fully hardy (killing temperature around -5°C, FAO EcoCrop) and can be picked right through winter into early spring; a spell of frost is widely held to sweeten the flavour. Biennial plants bolt and flower the following spring if left in the ground -- pull and compost once cropping finishes, or, for perennial heirloom types such as ''Daubenton''s'' and ''Taunton Deane'', leave in place to keep cropping for several years (RHS). |
Soil & Growing Conditions
Harvest & Storage
Companion Planting
Diseases
Pests
Kale, Sowing to Cut-and-Come-Again
Plan your Kale planting
When to sow and plant Kale depends on your own frost dates. Check the UK vegetable planting calendar, or the month-by-month guides that cover Kale: January, February, May, June, July, October, November, December. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.
Growing Kale in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
References
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Black rot shows yellow V-shaped lesions with the point of the V directed toward a vein, favoured by high temperature and humidity, surviving on debris up to two years when buried plus on wild mustard and contaminated seed; avoid cole crops where it occurred within two to three years and do not handle wet plants. Downy mildew is grey mould on the lower leaf surface with yellowing above. Alternaria leaf spot makes brown circular target spots with concentric rings between 60 and 90°F, overwintering on residue, calling for three-year rotation. Pythium damping-off rots seedlings at the soil line.
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Diamondback moth is "the most serious insect pest of brassica crops in South Carolina", leaving a window-pane appearance where the upper leaf surface stays intact. Damage is quantified relative to each other: one cabbage looper does roughly the damage of 5 diamondback moth larvae, and imported cabbageworm about two-thirds of a looper. Cross-striped cabbageworm hatches in masses and can rapidly skeletonise a plant, dropping to pupate just under the soil surface. Cabbage webworm damages buds and growing points, causing lateral budding. Cabbage aphids are commoner in cool autumn weather. Flea beetles are most problematic on mustard and turnips, which lack the protective waxy coating.
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EPPO code for the species Brassica oleracea (distinct from var. capitata BRSOL used for headed cabbage).
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Native range: Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of Great Britain, France and Spain, growing wild on sea cliffs; cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts are all cultivars of this species.
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RHS: "greenfly with a distinct whitish/mealy appearance... only found on cabbages and other brassicas"; can make kale inedible and affect growth points of young plants.
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US extension corroboration: black rot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris) affects all cultivated brassicas; "most severe on broccoli, cabbage, kale and cauliflower".
16 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sun or shade for kale?
Sun, ideally -- RHS notes kale likes sun but will also cope in light shade, so it's more forgiving than most vegetables if your plot isn't in full sun all day.
Is kale easy to grow?
Yes. Kale is easy to grow from seed sown indoors or outdoors, grows in most soil types and conditions, copes with light shade, and is one of the hardiest leafy vegetables, giving fresh leaves through the coldest months. The leaves can be picked over many months, and regular picking encourages more to grow (RHS).
Plan next season before the problems start
Most of the advice on this page comes down to timing and spacing — sowing at the right moment, rotating beds, and giving plants enough airflow. The UK Garden Planner lays your plot out month by month so those decisions are already made before the season starts.
Get the UK Garden Planner →Instant PDF download · Written for UK 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 RHS and Met Office guidance. 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.
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Last verified 2026-08-06
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