How to Grow Lacinato Kale USA
On this page
Lacinato kale is exceptionally cold-hardy, tolerating temperatures down to below -4°F (-20°C), and is typically transplanted once seedlings have grown 5-6 true leaves. Harvest by picking individual leaves as needed once the plant is established, leaving the central growing point intact so it keeps producing.
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Lacinato Kale (Brassica oleracea var. palmifolia)
2 sources cited · Verified
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 |
| Documented problems | 3 diseases, 4 pests |
At a Glance
Diseases
Pests
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.
Plan your Lacinato Kale planting
When to sow and plant Lacinato Kale 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 Lacinato Kale in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
Sources
These source is specific to this region. The full list of 2 sources behind this guide (Royal Horticultural Society, Utah State University Extension) is in the references of our UK guide to lacinato kale; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
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
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.