How to Grow Thousandhead Kale Canada

By the SoilCommander Editorial Team, under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder · · How we check our facts

On this page
  1. Thousandhead Kale (Brassica oleracea var. ramosa)
  2. Soil & Growing Conditions
  3. Growth Stages
  4. Quick Facts
  5. At a Glance
  6. Harvest & Storage
  7. Diseases
  8. Pests
  9. Plan your Thousandhead Kale planting
  10. Growing Thousandhead Kale in another region
  11. Sources
  12. Frequently Asked Questions

Thousandhead kale (Brassica oleracea var. ramosa) — perennial.

Unlike an annual crop, the work here is front-loaded into establishment: get the planting and the site right and the same plants crop for several seasons.

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Thousandhead Kale (Brassica oleracea var. ramosa)

Thousandhead Kale (Brassica oleracea var. ramosa) potted young plant — “Kluse - Brassica oleracea var. ramosa - Ewiger Kohl 01 ies” by Frank Vincentz is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

3 sources cited · Verified

Soil & Growing Conditions

Thousandhead Kale growing in situ among garden grass — “Brassica oleracea var. ramosa, growing in situ among garden grass (Barstow garden collection)” by Stephen Barstow is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: GBIF
“Brassica oleracea var. ramosa, growing in situ among garden grass (Barstow garden collection)” by Stephen Barstow is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: GBIF.

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

Growth Stages

Thousandhead Kale in a pot showing its branching stem base — “Brassica oleracea var. ramosa, potted plant showing stem base (Barstow garden collection)” by Stephen Barstow is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: GBIF
“Brassica oleracea var. ramosa, potted plant showing stem base (Barstow garden collection)” by Stephen Barstow is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: GBIF.
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

Thousandhead Kale (Brassica oleracea var. ramosa) potted young plant — “Kluse - Brassica oleracea var. ramosa - Ewiger Kohl 01 ies” by Frank Vincentz is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
“Kluse - Brassica oleracea var. ramosa - Ewiger Kohl 01 ies” by Frank Vincentz is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Factor Value
Minimum survivable temp -15°C
Soil texture tolerant of poor soil (Kahikatea Farm)
Drainage well-drained
Lifecycle perennial
Edible parts leaves, flower stalks

At a Glance

Close-up of a Thousandhead Kale leaf rosette — “Brassica oleracea var. ramosa, close-up of foliage rosette (Barstow garden collection)” by Stephen Barstow is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: GBIF
“Brassica oleracea var. ramosa, close-up of foliage rosette (Barstow garden collection)” by Stephen Barstow is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: GBIF.
Brassica oleracea var.… Thousandhead Kale Club root Cabbage root fly (US: c… Flea beetles DISEASES PESTS

Harvest & Storage

A single large Thousandhead Kale leaf held up against the landscape — “Brassica oleracea var. ramosa, single leaf held up against the landscape (Barstow garden collection)” by Stephen Barstow is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: GBIF
“Brassica oleracea var. ramosa, single leaf held up against the landscape (Barstow garden collection)” by Stephen Barstow is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: GBIF.

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

Thousandhead Kale potted young plant, another angle — “Kluse - Brassica oleracea var. ramosa - Ewiger Kohl 03 ies” by Frank Vincentz is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
“Kluse - Brassica oleracea var. ramosa - Ewiger Kohl 03 ies” by Frank Vincentz is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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

Thousandhead Kale growing in a greenhouse among other potted plants — “Brassica oleracea var. ramosa, potted young plants in a greenhouse (Barstow garden collection)” by Stephen Barstow is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: GBIF
“Brassica oleracea var. ramosa, potted young plants in a greenhouse (Barstow garden collection)” by Stephen Barstow is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: GBIF.
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.

Plan your Thousandhead Kale planting

When to sow and plant Thousandhead Kale depends on your own frost dates. Check the Canada vegetable planting calendar. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Thousandhead Kale in another region

Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

Sources

The full list of 3 sources behind this guide (Kahikatea Farm Certified Organic Nursery, Plants For A Future (PFAF)) is in the references of our UK guide to thousandhead kale; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What problems affect thousandhead kale?

Our data links 1 disease 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

Short-season growing is arithmetic before it is technique: days to maturity against frost-free days decides what will finish at all. The Canada Garden Planner does that subtraction for your region before you sow.

Get the Canada Garden Planner →

Instant PDF download · Written for Canadian growing conditions

SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

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 Canadian hardiness-zone and frost-date data, with provincial agriculture and university 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.

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Last verified 2026-09-05

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