Perpetual Kale
Brassica oleracea ramosa
Family: Brassicaceae or Cruciferae
What it is like
Brassica oleracea ramosa is a BIENNIAL/PERENNIAL growing to 0.9 m (3ft). It is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to August, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.
Height (m): 0.9
Where it is found
Not known in the wild.
A cultivated form of B. oleracea.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 4
Leaves - raw or cooked. A strong cabbage flavour, they are delicious if used when fairly young though they can become tough with age. The leaves are usually available from autumn to late spring, and can be harvested all through the winter in all but the very coldest of seasons. Young flowering shoots - raw or cooked. Picked before the flowers open, they are fairly tender and can be used as part of a mixed salad. When cooked, they have a delicious flavour similar to sprouting broccoli.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 0
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
A very easily grown plant, succeeding in full sun in a well-drained fertile preferably alkaline soil. Prefers a heavy soil. Succeeds in any reasonable soil and will tolerate quite poor conditions. Shade tolerant, growing well on a north border. Succeeds in maritime gardens. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.2 to 8.3. A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -15°c. It also tolerates high summer temperatures. Although at one time this group of kales was quite widely grown as a winter leaf crop, it has fallen out of favour somewhat because the leaves are considered be coarser than other vegetables that can be imported from warmer areas in the winter. This is a shame since the plants are very easy to grow, tolerate adverse conditions and are very productive. In addition some of them, particularly the form 'Daubenton', are reliably perennial and will remain productive in the garden for many years. Kale plants are less likely to be eaten by pigeons than the other members of this genus. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. The root pattern is fleshy. Thick or swollen - fibrous or tap root .
Propagating it: Seed - sow in a seedbed outdoors in April/May. Plant out into their permanent positions in the summer as space permits. Do not let the seedlings get overcrowded or they will soon become leggy and will not make such good plants. If your seedlings do get leggy, it is possible to plant them rather deeper into the soil - the buried stems will soon form roots and the plant will be better supported. The perennial forms can be increased by cuttings. These can be taken at almost any time that they are available. Use shoots about 8cm long of the current year's growth and place them in individual pots in the cuttings frame. They root very quickly and easily.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Biennial/Perennial
Hardiness: 0-0
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
Daubenton's kale