How to Grow Lacinato Kale UK
On this page
- Lacinato Kale (Brassica oleracea var. palmifolia)
- When to Plant Lacinato Kale in the UK
- Quick Facts
- At a Glance
- Soil & Growing Conditions
- Growth Stages
- Harvest & Storage
- Diseases
- Pests
- Lacinato Kale, Bed to Border
- Plan your Lacinato Kale planting
- Growing Lacinato Kale in another region
- References
- Frequently Asked Questions
In the UK, lacinato kale goes in the ground early April to early July.
Timing is the decision that matters most in the UK: sowing early April, and that same window applies across all 4 regions covered here.
The short answer
- Plant
- Early April to early July
- Biggest risk
- White blister
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Lacinato Kale (Brassica oleracea var. palmifolia)
2 sources cited · Verified
When to Plant Lacinato Kale in the UK
When to plant lacinato kale in the UK: in Southern England, sow early April to early July. Find your area in the table below.
| Region | Sow |
|---|---|
| Southern England | early April to early July |
| Midlands | early April to early July |
| Northern England | early April to early July |
| Scotland | early April to early July |
Southern England - detail & sources
The only source gives no region-specific UK dates; RHS gives a UK-wide hardiness rating (H7, hardy in the severest European continental climates) with the crop bred specifically for winter harvest implying a spring/summer sowing window, so one window is applied across all four sub-regions rather than inventing a north/south gradient the source does not support.
Midlands - detail & sources
The only source gives no region-specific UK dates; RHS gives a UK-wide hardiness rating (H7, hardy in the severest European continental climates) with the crop bred specifically for winter harvest implying a spring/summer sowing window, so one window is applied across all four sub-regions rather than inventing a north/south gradient the source does not support.
Northern England - detail & sources
The only source gives no region-specific UK dates; RHS gives a UK-wide hardiness rating (H7, hardy in the severest European continental climates) with the crop bred specifically for winter harvest implying a spring/summer sowing window, so one window is applied across all four sub-regions rather than inventing a north/south gradient the source does not support.
Scotland - detail & sources
The only source gives no region-specific UK dates; RHS gives a UK-wide hardiness rating (H7, hardy in the severest European continental climates) with the crop bred specifically for winter harvest implying a spring/summer sowing window, so one window is applied across all four sub-regions rather than inventing a north/south gradient the source does not support.
Quick Facts
| Factor | Value |
|---|---|
| Soil texture | chalk, clay, loam or sand, firm and fertile (RHS) |
| Drainage | well-drained |
| Lifecycle | biennial grown as an annual, or true biennial for winter harvesting |
| Edible parts | leaves |
At a Glance
Soil & Growing Conditions
Water: moist but well-drained (RHS)
Growth Stages
| Stage | BBCH | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sowing | 0 | Sow outdoors in fertile but firm soil that isn't too acidic, or start in modules/seedtrays indoors (RHS). |
| Transplanting | 3 | Transplant once seedlings have 5-6 leaves; may require staking in exposed locations given its tall, upright habit (RHS). |
| Leaf growth | 4 | Long, narrow, blistered black-green leaves develop through the season; full sun or partial shade, moist well-drained soil (RHS). |
| Winter harvest | 8 | Specifically bred for winter harvesting -- picked leaf by leaf through the cold months (RHS). |
Harvest & Storage
When to pick: Bred specifically for winter harvesting (RHS); pick individual long, blistered leaves as needed once plants are established, leaving the growing point to keep producing through the season.
Diseases
Pests
Lacinato Kale, Bed to Border
Plan your Lacinato Kale planting
When to sow and plant Lacinato Kale depends on your own frost dates. Check the UK vegetable planting calendar. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.
Growing Lacinato Kale in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
References
-
Also marketed as Cavolo nero; produces long, rolled-inwards, black-green leaves with high yield. Hardiness H7 (hardy in severest European continental climates, below -20°C). Full sun or partial shade. Soil: chalk, clay, loam or sand; moist but well-drained; alkaline or neutral pH. Height and spread 0.5-1m. Time to maturity 1-2 years. Sow outdoors in fertile but firm soil that isn't too acidic, or start in modules/seedtrays indoors and transplant once seedlings have 5-6 leaves. Designed for winter harvesting; may require staking in exposed locations. PESTS: flea beetles affecting seedlings, butterfly caterpillars, pigeons (netting required), snails, cabbage root fly, mealy cabbage aphids that can spoil the harvest. DISEASES: susceptible to brassica downy mildew, white blister, and club root (which accumulates in soil where brassicas were previously grown).
2 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
When should I sow lacinato kale in the UK?
In Southern England, from early April. In Scotland, wait until early April. Treat these as a guide rather than a fixed date — the governing rule is to sow only once frost risk has passed and temperatures are reliably warm enough.
When do I sow lacinato kale?
Sow early April to early July.
What problems affect lacinato kale?
Our data links 3 diseases 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
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.
Related Problem Guides
Last verified 2026-09-02
Plan Lacinato Kales by month
The months this guide gives for sowing or planting, each with the full list of jobs for that month in the UK:
More from the same group (brassicas & mustards):
Growing advice for your part of the UK
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.