Kale Trees - Gardening Australia (2024)

SERIES 34| Episode 21

Hannah shows us how to keep kale growing for years by turning them into trees.

Kale is a great year-round leafy green option, requiring much less maintenance than lettuce and spinach. Technically, kale has a pretty short lifespan as a biennial, lasting just two years, but with this technique they can last up to three or more.

To turn your kale into trees, start by only harvesting the mature leaves of the young kale plant and leave the inner leaves alone. Strip the smaller leaves that grow along the stem to encourage the plant to direct its energy to the top bunch of leaves. As they age, they’ll grow taller and form a thick stem, like a trunk. Over the warm months they'll start to flower so simply prune the flowerheads off, and remove any leaves impacted by pests until the cooler weather arrives again. Once they start falling over or losing vigour, you can cut them right back and they'll produce new shoots and start all over again. Cut towards the base above a node where new healthy leaves can sprout.

Kale trees in your vegie patch are super versatile and you won't get sick of eating it year-round. Try it steamed in stir fries, finely chopped in salads or even bake it intochips!