How to Grow Thousandhead Kales Canada | Planting & Establishment

Soil & Growing Conditions

Water: tolerant of poorer soil conditions than other brassicas (Kahikatea Farm)

Soil pH range

5.5 7.5

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

Stage	BBCH	Notes
Sowing	0	Sow as for other kale types; very easy to grow, tolerant of poorer soil conditions than other brassicas (Kahikatea Farm).
Establishment	1	Establishes as a large, vigorous perennial; rarely troubled by pests or diseases (Kahikatea Farm).
Branching leaf growth	3	Develops its characteristic multi-branching, "thousand-headed" habit, with leaves up to 50cm or even a metre long (Kahikatea Farm).
Perennial harvest	8	Harvest leaves and sweet flower stalks over multiple years as a perennial winter fodder/food crop (Kahikatea Farm).

Quick Facts

Factor	Value
Soil pH	5.5 - 7.5
Sunlight	2-8 hours direct sun
Minimum survivable temp	-15C
Soil texture	tolerant of poor soil (Kahikatea Farm)
Drainage	well-drained
Lifecycle	perennial
Edible parts	leaves, flower stalks

At a Glance

Harvest & Storage

When to pick: Leaves harvested up to 50cm or even a metre long, remaining tender despite their size; the branching habit also produces sweet flower stalks, used similarly to broccolini (Kahikatea Farm).

Diseases

Club root

low

Plasmodiophora brassicae

Likely rather than confirmed: no source names this crop directly, but it shares a species (Brassica oleracea) with Kale, which lists this disease; Kahikatea Farm notes this variety is "rarely troubled" by disease…

Pests

Cabbage root fly (US: cabbage maggot)

low

Delia radicum

Likely rather than confirmed: no source names this crop directly, but it shares a species (Brassica oleracea) with Kale, which lists this pest; Kahikatea Farm notes this variety is "rarely troubled" by pests generally.

Flea beetles

low

Chrysomelidae: Alticini (various spp.)

Likely rather than confirmed: no source names this crop directly, but it shares a species (Brassica oleracea) with Kale, which lists this pest; Kahikatea Farm notes this variety is "rarely troubled" by pests generally.

Thousandhead Kale, a Vigorous Multi-Branching Perennial

A vigorous, multi-branching kale

Named "thousand-headed" for its unusually branching, multi-stemmed habit that produces far more leaves than other kale types.

Leaves up to a metre long

Kahikatea Farm: leaves grow up to 50cm or even a metre long and over 30cm wide, resembling "elephant's ears" -- yet remaining tender despite their size.

Tolerant of poor soil

Kahikatea Farm: very easy to grow, more tolerant of poor soil than other brassicas, and rarely troubled by pests or diseases.

A genuinely hardy perennial

PFAF: a very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -15C, and tolerant of quite poor growing conditions.

Grown on in a cold-climate greenhouse

Photographed in a Norwegian greenhouse collection of edible perennials -- a genuinely hardy plant that still benefits from a sheltered start in a cold climate.

A dense rosette of broad leaves

PFAF: shade tolerant, growing well even on a north border, and prefers moist soil.

The branching stem base

The multi-branching stem structure at the plant's base is what gives this variety its "thousand-headed" name -- each branch capable of producing its own cluster of leaves.

Growing among other garden plants

PFAF: tolerates maritime exposure and succeeds in a wide pH range, from 4.2 to 8.3 -- a genuinely accommodating plant for mixed garden conditions.

A single leaf, held for scale

PFAF: leaves are eaten raw or cooked, with a strong cabbage flavour -- best used while still fairly young.

References

1. Kahikatea Farm Certified Organic Nursery - Kale Thousandhead

   A secondary gardening reference rather than a university or horticultural authority, used as the sole source for this heirloom forage/fodder kale as no RHS or equivalent authority growing profile exists for it, explicitly disclosed. An heirloom, large, vigorous perennial kale with leaves growing up to 50cm or even a metre long and over 30cm wide, resembling "elephant's ears" -- known as thousand-headed for its multi-branching habit, producing more leaves and sweet flower stalks (similar to broccolini) than other kales, despite the leaf size remaining tender. Very easy to grow, tolerant of poorer soil conditions than other brassicas, rarely troubled by pests or diseases. Historically grown as winter fodder for sheep in harsh UK and Northern European climates, distinct from the tall Marrow-Stem type traditionally grown for dairy cattle in autumn. Documented in "The Vegetable Garden" (1885), originally from the UK, potentially with French Atlantic coast origins.

2. Plants For A Future (PFAF) - Brassica oleracea ramosa (Perpetual Kale)

   Habitat: not found wild, a cultivated form of B. oleracea; parent species native to coastal UK/Germany/Spain/France. Hardiness: very hardy, tolerates temperatures down to about -15C, tolerates quite poor conditions and high summer temperatures. Soil: light/sandy, medium/loamy or heavy/clay, prefers well-drained, pH 4.2-8.3 (prefers slightly alkaline), prefers a heavy soil. Sun: shade tolerant, grows well on a north border, succeeds in semi-shade/light woodland or no shade. Moisture: prefers moist soil, tolerates maritime exposure. Size: biennial/perennial to 0.9m, hermaphrodite, flowers May-August, seed ripens July-September. Propagation: sow in a seedbed outdoors in April/May; perennial forms can be increased by cuttings taken at almost any time, rooting very quickly and easily. Edible use: leaves raw or cooked, strong cabbage flavour, best used young; young flowering shoots raw or cooked, fairly tender, used in mixed salads or with a flavour similar to sprouting broccoli. Medicinal/hazards: none known. Pests: kale plants generally less likely to be eaten by pigeons than other members of this genus.

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.