So much kale - curly, black, eaten and old

My two shop bought kale varieties, looking a little dry I must say

Kale is not a vegetable I have ever had any regard for.  But when I realised I would have a whole bed free all winter I started hunting around for some nice winter vegetables to fill it, and settled amongst other things, on kale.

Kale, as one person on twitter told me, would survive a nuclear winter.  I haven't got plans to live through one of those, but winter hardiness is exactly what I was looking for.  I believe we have only willingly bought kale once from the supermarket, and I can't say I was a fan.  But I haven't let that hold me back and now seem to be growing four different varieties.  I had the audacity to question whether kale was an appetising vegetable on twitter, and was promptly put right!  It seems there are some real defenders of kale out there!  But one mentioned a kale and lentil curry that does sound rather tempting so I will have to remember to have a go at that.

My first batch of Nero di Toscana kale, apparently the world's most
appetising kale to pests

I have sown two varieties myself and bought two.  The two I bought are a black kale and F1 reflex curly kale.  The black one has lovely purple tinged smooth leaves at the moment, but this should change to dark green, very knobbly green leaves.  This seems to be feature of kale; leaves like crinkled old bags.

Reflex will be even more crinkly than the black variety, im looking at the picture on the label and my mind can't help wander to all the nooks and crannies caterpillars will have to hide in. I am quickly discovering that this is the main hitch of growing winter greens: all the caterpillars out to get them.  Not such a problem with the kale at the second, but my cauliflowers? That is another story! But a story for another day.

These shop bought ones are already planted out in my new front bed.  I wanted to plant them in the traditional row style, but my annual flowers and beans haven't finished yet so I have ended up popping them in here and there in my usual haphazard way.  It looks rather charming at the second, but when the annuals are over and gone, the neighbours are going to wonder what the hell I was thinking! Oh well. It should also make harvesting the leaves a bit more of a challenge.  I am trying to keep on top of the weeds to make sure I don't suddenly start munching on them rather the kale!

Ninety nine percent of the stuff in this picture is not kale. The line of the
plants at the far left are a line of kale

I also did some sowing.  I bought just the one kale variety at the Hampton Court flower show - Nero di Toscana, because this was still in the day when the taste of a vegetable was a prerequisite to growing it, and as I have already said, im not sure what kale tastes like.

These seedlings are my biggest issue at the moment.  If I leave them uncovered on the patio something just comes along and mows long the top of them.  Its been a real challenge nursing them through. I suspect pigeons so have them tucked away and covered in fleece to keep the pesky birds off.  This seems to be working, but what I didn't get is the other sat 5 metres away for several weeks and were left immaculate. It makes no sense.  What I didn't account for in all my protection was a falling apple which took a seedling out.  Typical.  What makes it through this tough time will join their fellows in the bed.

At this point I clearly have more than enough kale, but then I came across a really old packet the mother bought and didn't use.  I always love a challenge so I couldn't resist trying to germinate them.  I chucked in a whole lot as they are old anyway.  Of course the seed is still viable and all of it has come up, and now I have an excessive amount. Oh well. Be making lots of that kale and lentil curry wont I! Now I just need to figure out when to start picking the leaves...