How and When to Harvest Kale for the Sweetest Greens

If you have kale sprouting in your garden, you might be watching it like a hawk, waiting for the perfect moment to pick. But how does an excited gardener know when the time is right?

Although it depends on the variety, kale is typically harvested two months after planting when the leaves are 6 to 12 inches long.

As a popular member of the cabbage family and an important inclusion on any list of cruciferous veggies, growing kale at home is a fabulous treat for anyone enthusiastic about edible garden additions. Knowing the signs to look out for will help you harvest kale at the right time.

Read on for helpful tips and ways of harvesting that will encourage regrowth for a healthy crop cycle.

How to Know When Kale Is Ready to Harvest

Kale is ready to harvest roughly two to three months after it’s been planted or transplanted. Different varieties of kale may vary, so for the best possible guidelines, check your particular cultivar’s maturation timeframe on the information tag or seed packet.

Some varieties will have a more vigorous production “schedule” and pop up with new leaves more frequently, such as cavolo nero and White Russian kale.

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Factors to Consider

• Weather and temperature: The weather and temperature (particularly when your area’s first frost happens) will also dictate how long you’ll be able to continue harvesting for. In many cases, kale will keep leafy greens coming to your kitchen through the end of the summer and even into fall post-frost.
• An unexpected frost: If a frost does happen unexpectedly, don’t assume the worst has happened—it’s been found that the freeze can make kale sweeter.
• Spotting flowers or a center stalk: If you notice a budding or flowered stem appearing, it’s not worth harvesting. This is called “bolting,” and it happens to a variety of vegetables, like lettuce, arugula, radishes, and cilantro. It’s part of the plant’s reproduction process as it tries to produce seeds and flowers rather than additional leaves.
• Taste after bolting: While it’s normal for the plant to bolt, it might happen prior to you getting your harvest in—which can be frustrating. Harvesting kale at this point can result in leaves that are tough, chewy, and overly bitter.

How to Harvest Kale So It Continues Growing

When your kale plant has leaves that have reached maturity, you can start harvesting. These simple steps will help you make the most of the yield and keep your kale growing.

1. Allow your plant to mature: Give your kale a chance to grow longer leaves and get bushy so there is enough to pick and enough left on the plant.
2. Grab your supplies: It’s perfectly fine to use your hands to gather kale. You can also wear gloves or a pair of secateurs.
3. Start picking: Choose leaves around the base of the plant and those that are around the 8-inch to 12-inch size. Try to avoid the very top leaves, which tend to be smaller and newer.
4. Leave enough for the plant: Try to leave about two-thirds of the plant behind after harvesting. Mature leaves can also be plucked as and when they’re ready—harvests can be as small as you’d like them to be.

How Often Should You Harvest Kale?

Kale offers a nice harvesting cadence as leaves mature gradually. You can pick the bottom third of your plant, then come back for more once the younger leaves above those have matured.

The plant will keep growing throughout the season—a nice continual reward after all the care you’ve put into your plant. There is no exact number of days you should wait as every plant will do its own thing, but a good rule of thumb is to wait between five and seven days.