Just Like Vitamin Supplements, Grow Kale all Year Long (for pennies)

Credit: Sharon Hanna

Kale ‘Rainbow Tuscan’ is a beautiful plant, growing in shades of pink through purple through almost blue/black, and tastes great, having the same qualities as Tuscan (aka ‘Lacinato’, dinosaur, etc.) except for the colouration.

Though it’s technically a biennial, I have one plant in particular that keeps coming back from “the dead” in my garden. The leaves have been stripped clean, but come early spring, more leaves show up. I am beginning to wonder if it will ever “bolt” (go to seed).

Whether you grow this or any other variety, please do grow kale! It’s a truly amazing vegetable. Up-to-date research indicates that one of kale’s phytonutrients, lutein, prevents age-related macular degeneration and other eye issues, among other things. Lutein and its accompanying molecule, xeanthanin, protect plant leaves from ultra-violet radiation, and it’s thought it is these phytonutrients that protect the human eye. Kale contains more lutein than any other vegetable so why not eat it, rather than take a supplement? Considering it grows all year round in many climate zones, kale is a no-brainer in the garden: nutrient-dense organic greens for just pennies.