- Hardiness
- Grown as a yearly crop in every zone
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Average, about an inch a week
- Size
- 1 to 2 ft
- Days to harvest
- 50 to 65
- Start indoors
- 6 weeks before planting out
Growing tip. Frost makes it sweeter. Pick the lower leaves and let the top keep growing.
When to plant kale by zone
| Zone | Median last / first frost | When to plant |
|---|---|---|
| 3b | May 16 / Sep 25 | Plant outside: Apr 4 to Apr 18 Start seeds indoors: around Feb 21 Fall crop: Jul 31 to Aug 28 |
| 4a | May 12 / Sep 28 | Plant outside: Mar 31 to Apr 14 Start seeds indoors: around Feb 17 Fall crop: Aug 3 to Aug 31 |
| 4b | May 8 / Oct 1 | Plant outside: Mar 27 to Apr 10 Start seeds indoors: around Feb 13 Fall crop: Aug 6 to Sep 3 |
| 5a | May 3 / Oct 5 | Plant outside: Mar 22 to Apr 5 Start seeds indoors: around Feb 8 Fall crop: Aug 10 to Sep 7 |
| 5b | May 1 / Oct 10 | Plant outside: Mar 20 to Apr 3 Start seeds indoors: around Feb 6 Fall crop: Aug 15 to Sep 12 |
| 6a | Apr 29 / Oct 16 | Plant outside: Mar 18 to Apr 1 Start seeds indoors: around Feb 4 Fall crop: Aug 21 to Sep 18 |
| 6b | Apr 22 / Oct 22 | Plant outside: Mar 11 to Mar 25 Start seeds indoors: around Jan 28 Fall crop: Aug 27 to Sep 24 |
| 7a | Apr 16 / Oct 25 | Plant outside: Mar 5 to Mar 19 Start seeds indoors: around Jan 22 Fall crop: Aug 30 to Sep 27 |
| 7b | Apr 5 / Nov 1 | Plant outside: Feb 22 to Mar 8 Start seeds indoors: around Jan 11 Fall crop: Sep 6 to Oct 4 |
| 8a | Mar 29 / Nov 7 | Plant outside: Feb 15 to Mar 1 Start seeds indoors: around Jan 4 Fall crop: Sep 12 to Oct 10 |
| 8b | Mar 16 / Nov 14 | Plant outside: Feb 2 to Feb 16 Start seeds indoors: around Jan 1 Fall crop: Sep 19 to Oct 17 |
| 9a | Mar 2 / Nov 26 | Plant outside: Jan 19 to Feb 2 Start seeds indoors: around Jan 1 Fall crop: Oct 1 to Oct 29 |
| 9b | Feb 1 / Dec 9 | Plant outside: Jan 1 to Jan 4 Start seeds indoors: around Jan 1 Fall crop: Oct 14 to Nov 11 |
Zones 10 and warmer have little or no frost. There, plant cool-season plants in fall and warm-season plants from late winter.
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Frequently asked questions
What zone does kale grow in?
Kale is grown fresh each year, so it fits every zone. What changes is when you plant. Find your zone by ZIP code.
How much sun does kale need?
Full sun to part shade. Full sun means at least six hours of direct sun a day; part shade means about three to six.
Hardiness ranges, light and size are typical figures from university extension services and botanic garden plant records; a named variety can differ, so check its tag. Planting dates come from each zone's median frost dates (NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals) and the timing rules in how we check.