How to Harvest Kale for a Healthy and Sustainable Garden

By Ellie Perez | Updated: October 25, 2023

The type of vegetable classified as one of the healthiest foods is Kale, and it’s also a great plant for the garden. Aside from being easy to grow, it is an annual plant, which means it can live for two years. The great thing about kale is that the more leaves you pick, the more the plant grows!

Not only is it hard to grow kale, but it’s even harder to harvest the best leaves while still letting the plant grow properly. So, a good harvesting method will help your kale plant continue to grow so you can harvest it next time. Therefore, we are here to help you find out the best How to harvest Kale, so it persists in growing and generating abundant, flavorful leaves for you.

Choosing The Right Time To Harvest Kale

*When kale has grown to its full height, you can cut it*

The best time to harvest your Kale for it to stay fresh and delicious includes:

For mature kale leaves: You should wait until the plant bolts and flowers, usually after about 60 days of growth.

Wait Until After The First Frost: If you plant Kale in the autumn, our professional tip is to wait for the harvest until after the first frost! Frost truly makes your Kale taste sweeter. Frost increases the sugar level in the Kale leaves, making them tender and sweeter compared to the spring harvest.

Note: The flavor of Kale become sweeter after exposure to cold temperatures. So you can harvest in the morning after the dew has dried for maximum crispness. The best time is after the first hard frost of winter when temperatures dip below 20°F.

How to Harvest Kale From Your Garden: 7 Pro Tips

*The 10 Best Ways to Harvest Kale From Your Garden*

Harvesting Kale From Your Garden may be hard. But don’t worry;we’ll show you how to harvest kale like a pro with the tips below.

1. Start with big and aged leaves

When harvesting Kale, you should begin with the larger, older leaves on the outermost part of the plant. In this way, you can promote new growth at the heart of the plant and ensure a continuous supply.

2. Avoid picking the terminal bud

*This keeps your kale plant producing from the core*

It is necessary to avoid picking the terminal bud that appears at the plant’s top center as you harvest. The plant will continue to produce new leaves for you to pluck for a longer period of time if you do not pick the terminal bud.

3. Make a perfect cut

When harvesting kale, you must avoid cutting the stems straight across the kale. Instead, you will cut the stems at a 45-degree angle;you can also use scissors or garden shears to cut the leaves near the base, leaving the central stem intact. This creates a larger surface area for water to drain off the cut stem, preventing rot and disease. Angled cuts let kale stems heal better.

Note about Avoiding cutting the plant root: Just like any other plant, Kale will only be healthy if its roots are healthy. So you don’t hurt or cut them while you’re harvesting. Carefully handle those roots because they work hard to bring water and nutrients to your kale.

4. Collect one fistful of leaves Per Harvest

As a standard instruction, we recommend harvesting just a fistful of leaves from each plant to ensure it can keep growing well. You need to remember that Kale needs some remaining leaves to keep photosynthesizing and growing.

5. Return in a week to harvest

Consistent Kale harvesting is vital for sustaining plant growth. If you do not remove withered leaves, it discourages further production. Returning every 5-7 days, harvesting fully mature leaves is really necessary.

6. Harvest and remove yellow or spotted leaves

You must keep an eye out for yellow or spotted leaves. These issues can symbolize nutrient deficiencies or pests. Remove them promptly to keep your plant healthy.

7. Protect kale from the weather

One factor that can affect the growth of kale plants is colder weather. When it gets colder and closer to winter, you need to cover it with a garden cloth or row cover during extreme cold or heavy rain to keep it dry. Therefore, your Kale plants will have a safe and healthy environment to grow.

Preserve &Store Properly

*After harvesting, keep things properly*

While harvesting kale is hard, keeping it in the best shape is even harder. You can use the following methods to store your kale in the best condition.

Refrigerator: you can store unwashed kale in a perforated plastic bag in the crisper drawer to allow airflow and retain moisture. Your kale will keep fresh for 5-7 days.

Freezer: If you want to preserve kale for a long time, you should blanch kale leaves in boiling water, then freeze flat in freezer bags. Frozen kale will last about 8-10 months.

Drying: If you want to preserve it this way, you can hang small bundles of kale leaves upside down in a cool, dry area out of sunlight. After a while, the kale leaves are fully dried and become crumbly. Finally, when the leaves are dried, you should store them in an airtight glass jar to maintain freshness.

Why is it important to harvest kale regularly?

*Regularly harvesting kale plants serves you well for your garden in many ways*

When harvesting kale, you need to harvest kale regularly. This is extremely important since it could provide the three great advantages listed below, which you would not expect:

1. Encourage Kale to make more leaves

Even though it may not make sense, the more leaves you pick, the more energy your plant needs to make fresh ones. For that reason, harvesting regularly and keeping a consistent level of kale harvest for each harvest will help your kale plant grow consistently. At the same time, this also helps ensure the quality of leaves becomes uniform in each of your harvests.

2. Keep the garden healthy in general

*As important as harvesting kale is making sure your other plants get enough nutrition*

Making sure all of your other crops can get the nutrients they require is just as key as harvesting the kale regularly. If you plant your garden thickly, as I do with my close planting method, it’s essential to harvest your kale leaves often so that each one gets the sunlight and airflow it needs. In case you don’t, your kale will quickly grow into tiny trees that take over other plant beds and use up all the resources that are there.

3. Help you detect pests

Typically, pests will be more likely to appear on the longer and older leaves of kale plants. Therefore, regularly harvesting kale plants will help you detect and eliminate pests from old leaves. It will also help your plants grow healthily and minimize the harmful effects of pests and diseases on your kale plants.

Common Challenges and Solutions in Harvesting Kale

*Baking soda and chamomile tea sprays combat fungus naturally*

Harvesting kale has never been easy. It can even be a huge challenge when your kale plant isn’t growing as you would like. These are a few challenges we looked into and found solutions for you that should make them easy for you to solve:

Pest Infestation

Hungry pests like aphids, cabbage loopers, and flea beetles can swarm and damage your kale leaves. They eat your kale’s nutrients and make them malnourished and difficult to grow.

Solution: You can apply safe organic methods like row covers, insecticidal soap, and neem oil, or attract beneficial insects that can protect Kale without toxic pesticides.

Disease

Leaf spots and powdery mildew are common diseases of your kale plants that can quickly make the kale leaves look dirty and unappetizing. Spores spread quickly in the moist conditions kale needs to thrive, reducing both yield and quality, making it unsafe to eat.

Solution: You can prevent the disease by improving airflow and avoiding wet foliage. Organic sprays like baking soda or chamomile tea can fight fungus without chemicals. For severely diseased kale plants, you should spray this organic substance three times a day. For a seedling, you can spray 1 to 2 times a day.

What could you make with your kale harvest?

*Kale will be attractive if it can be used in a range of dishes*

Even if you already have fresh kale leaves, do you know how to make delicious dishes from them? If the answer is ‘No”, you can make the best kale for you and your family by following the suggestions below.

Kale Smoothie: I don’t know how many cups of kale smoothie I’ve had because it’s so delicious, nutritious and so easy to make. You just blend it with any fruits you like such as banana, apple, and a splash of yogurt or almond milk for a refreshing and healthy drink.

Kale Chips: This is definitely a great snack that will make even the kids who hate kale love it. You can make kale chips by tearing the leaves into bite-sized pieces, tossing them in olive oil, salt, and your choice of seasonings, and then baking them until crispy.

Kale chips, are an extremely delicious dish and are loved by children — *Kale chips, are an extremely delicious snack and are loved by children*

Kale Pesto: Surely you also know that sauce is the soul of a dish, so you can use kale instead of basil to make a vibrant pesto sauce. Combine kale, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and lemon juice in a food processor. All of your family’s meals will be better with this.

Kale Soup: Anyone will feel better after eating kale soup. You can create a hearty kale soup by sautéing onions, garlic, and other vegetables, then adding chicken or vegetable broth, and finally tossing in kale leaves.

Bottom Line

Efficiently harvesting kale isn’t just about picking leaves—it’s about nurturing your plant for a continuous, hearty yield. Following these 7 tips, you can learn How to Harvest Kale for a Healthy and Sustainable Garden throughout the growing season.