Homesteader's Kaleidoscopic

Brassica oleracea var. ramosa

This kale is a joy to grow in so many ways. This mix was created by Chris Homanics by crossing perennial bush kales with several other brassicas. The genetics are diverse, containing a variety of leaf colours, shapes, and textures. All are delicious! The young leaves are good for salads, larger leaves are good for cooking or "collard" wraps. I’ve been delighted to see some variegated white, lavender, and hot pink plants, which I've been encouraging. Almost all the plants are perennial, meaning that even after they flower in their second year, they continue to grow and produce tasty leaves. You can cut off and eat the flower buds to keep the plant producing leaves instead of seeds.

The plants grow large and most are branching and bushy or a palm tree shape, and can be pruned if desired to be more compact. As they grow tall, most plants will flop over and root along the stem where they touch the ground. To keep the plants more upright, they can be staked.

The plants eventually lose their vigour after a few years, but your favourite plants can be propagated by woody stem cuttings almost any time of year. Just stick the cuttings in the ground and keep moist.

You can select your favourite individuals from this diverse mix and create your own perennial kale variety!

I've been selecting for colourful and variegated leaves for the last few years, as well as a perennial growth habit. There is likely a small amount of the hot pink Candy Floss Kale genetics in this population, which is a biennial, but it seems to be a minimal amount based on my grow outs.

Bees and other pollinators, like mason bees, love the flowers. When flowering, the plants can reach 6-8 feet tall. The flowers, buds, and flowering stems are very tasty. Try eating them raw, or use like broccolini in stir fries etc.

First harvest estimated 50-70 days, but I'd let plants establish before harvesting much. Plants will flower annually from year 2 onwards, but keep on growing.

Growing Instructions

Start indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost date, and transplant when soil warms up. Or direct sow in early spring to mid summer. Sow about 1/4 inch deep. The plants prefer full sun, but can also do well in part shade. It is recommended to plant them 3 feet apart because they are so vigorous and can grow quite wide and tall, but they can be thinned as they grow, and/or pruned to keep them compact.

OSSI pledged variety. For more info about our involvement with OSSI see here.

You have the freedom to use these OSSI-Pledged seeds in any way you choose. In return, you pledge not to restrict others’ use of these seeds or their derivatives by patents or other means, and to include this Pledge with any transfer of these seeds or their derivatives.