Italian Kale, Dinosaur Kale

Brassica oleracea 'Lacinato'

Italian Kale is an heirloom cool season annual with long upright edible basal foliage that is heavily textured and such a dark blue-green that it looks black from a distance.  The foliage is crisp and very tender with mild nutty flavor and  slightly sweet and earthy undertone.  The leaves have the best flavor after the first frost.  Best if grown in rich, consistently moist well-drained loamy soils.   

MAINTENANCE NEEDS: Low Maintenance.  A cool seasonal plant best grown in spring or fall.  Potential insect problems include cabbageworms, cabbage loopers, flea beetles, caterpillars, thrips, slugs and aphids. Root maggots may be a problem in some areas. Watch for leaf spots, blackleg, black rot and yellows.
LANDSCAPE USES:  Accents or Group Plantings, Borders, Wildlife Garden, Edible Garden, and Containers.

COMPANION PLANTS:  Dill, Agastache, Sage

IMAGES: Forest & Kim Starr, Starr 081031-0376 Brassica oleracea, CC BY 3.0, (2) Frank Vincentz, Kluse - Brassica oleracea var. palmifolia - Ostfriesische Palme 01 ies, CC BY-SA 3.0, (3) Photo by U.S. Department of Agriculture, 20170526-AMS-LSC-0329

*As plants have ranges in appearance they may not appear as the images shown.