How to Grow Marrowstem Kale UK
On this page
- Marrowstem Kale (Brassica oleracea var. medullosa)
- When to Plant Marrowstem Kale in the UK
- Quick Facts
- At a Glance
- Soil & Growing Conditions
- Growth Stages
- Harvest & Storage
- Diseases
- Pests
- Marrowstem Kale, Grown for the Stem
- Plan your Marrowstem Kale planting
- Growing Marrowstem Kale in another region
- References
- Frequently Asked Questions
In the UK, marrowstem kale goes in the ground early April to late May.
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 late May
- Site
- soil pH 4.2–8.3
- Biggest risk
- Club root
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Marrowstem Kale (Brassica oleracea var. medullosa)
Also known as: marrow-stem kale · 2 sources cited · Single source
When to Plant Marrowstem Kale in the UK
When to plant marrowstem kale in the UK: in Southern England, sow early April to late May. Find your area in the table below.
Quick Facts
At a Glance
Soil & Growing Conditions
Growth Stages
Harvest & Storage
Diseases
Pests
Marrowstem Kale, Grown for the Stem
Plan your Marrowstem Kale planting
When to sow and plant Marrowstem 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 Marrowstem 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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A secondary gardening reference rather than a university or horticultural authority, used as the sole source for this heritage forage/fodder kale as no RHS or equivalent authority growing profile exists for it, explicitly disclosed. A biennial/perennial plant reaching 0.9m (3ft) tall. Foliage has a strong cabbage flavour, becoming tougher as it ages. Young flowering shoots taste similar to sprouting broccoli when cooked. Native to European coasts including the UK, Germany, Spain and France -- a cultivated form, not found wild. Extremely cold-tolerant, withstanding temperatures down to about -15°C, and tolerates high summer heat. Adaptable to full sun, semi-shade or shade, performing well on a north border. Soil: light, medium or heavy; pH 4.2-8.3; prefers well-drained, fertile, heavy soil, succeeds in heavy clay. Propagate by direct seeding outdoors April/May in a seedbed; transplant summer seedlings to permanent positions, avoiding overcrowding to prevent legginess; deeper planting encourages root formation. Not often cultivated for its edible leaves specifically, due to coarser texture than other kale varieties, but prized for winter harvesting in cold climates. Traditionally grown as a tall dairy-cattle forage crop for autumn use, as distinct from the dwarf Thousandhead type grown for sheep in winter.
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PFAF entry for Brassica oleracea, the parent species of this cultivar group -- the figure is species-level, not cultivar-specific. Fetched and parsed directly for the USDA hardiness rating.
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 marrowstem 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 marrowstem kale?
Sow early April to late May.
What soil pH does marrowstem kale need?
A pH of about 4.2–8.3. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.
What problems affect marrowstem kale?
Our data links 2 diseases and 2 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 2026-08-29
Plan Marrowstem Kale 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.