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Kale

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When to plant kale

Frost sweetens the leaves. Pick the lower leaves and the plant keeps producing well into winter.

Photo: Alabama Extension, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

The rules we use

Frost
Hardy. Can go in 5 weeks before the average last frost and stands about 6 weeks of autumn frost.
Start indoors
4–6 weeks before planting out, or sow directly outside
Soil warm enough
Weekly mean around 5°C41°F or more
Heat limit
Average highs above 31°C88°F while it matures (it bolts)
Days to harvest
About 60 days from sowing in warm weather; longer when it is cool
Picking
About 10 weeks from one planting

General guidance, kept on the cautious side. Varieties differ: check the seed packet. How the dates are worked out.

At a glance

Grows outdoors in
89 of 89 cities
Earliest start (north)
San Diego, January 1
Latest start (north)
Phoenix, October 21
Can go in this week
27 cities

Kale: city by city

Sorted from the earliest start after midwinter to the latest. Southern-hemisphere cities follow, with their seasons six months on.

Sow indoorsSow or plant outdoorsHarvestFrost seasonToday

Northern hemisphere
San DiegoCalifornia
San FranciscoCalifornia
San JoseCalifornia
DallasTexas
El PasoTexas
PortlandOregon
SeattleWashington
MemphisTennessee
BirminghamAlabama
Little RockArkansas
AtlantaGeorgia
VancouverBritish Columbia
CharlotteNorth Carolina
RaleighNorth Carolina
NashvilleTennessee
TulsaOklahoma
RichmondVirginia
LouisvilleKentucky
Oklahoma CityOklahoma
LondonEngland
CardiffWales
WashingtonDistrict of Columbia
ManchesterEngland
AlbuquerqueNew Mexico
BristolEngland
St. LouisMissouri
BaltimoreMaryland
Salt Lake CityUtah
Kansas CityMissouri
DublinIreland
BelfastNorthern Ireland
PhiladelphiaPennsylvania
CincinnatiOhio
BirminghamEngland
ColumbusOhio
IndianapolisIndiana
GlasgowScotland
New YorkNew York
PittsburghPennsylvania
OmahaNebraska
BoiseIdaho
Des MoinesIowa
EdinburghScotland
SpokaneWashington
ClevelandOhio
ChicagoIllinois
BostonMassachusetts
DenverColorado
BillingsMontana
DetroitMichigan
MilwaukeeWisconsin
MinneapolisMinnesota
MadisonWisconsin
PortlandMaine
TorontoOntario
BuffaloNew York
FargoNorth Dakota
BurlingtonVermont
MontrealQuebec
OttawaOntario
HalifaxNova Scotia
CalgaryAlberta
EdmontonAlberta
WinnipegManitoba
AnchorageAlaska
Los AngelesCalifornia
CharlestonSouth Carolina
HonoluluHawaii
JacksonvilleFlorida
MiamiFlorida
SacramentoCalifornia
New OrleansLouisiana
OrlandoFlorida
TampaFlorida
HoustonTexas
AustinTexas
San AntonioTexas
FresnoCalifornia
Las VegasNevada
TucsonArizona
PhoenixArizona
Southern hemisphere
CanberraAustralian Capital Territory
SydneyNew South Wales
MelbourneVictoria
BrisbaneQueensland
AdelaideSouth Australia
AucklandNew Zealand
PerthWestern Australia
HobartTasmania

Swipe sideways to see the whole year →

Dates

CitySow indoorsSow outdoorsHarvest
San Diego California–Jan 1 – Dec 31Jan 1 – Dec 31
San Francisco California–Jan 1 – Dec 31Jan 1 – Dec 31
San Jose California–Jan 1 – Dec 31Jan 1 – Dec 31
Dallas TexasDec 15 – Jan 19Jan 26 – Apr 18, Sep 19 – Oct 21Nov 4 – Jan 13, Apr 7 – Aug 9
El Paso TexasDec 15 – Jan 19Jan 26 – Mar 30, Sep 24 – Oct 12Nov 12 – Jan 4, Apr 11 – Jul 23
Portland OregonDec 26 – Jan 30Feb 6 – Sep 8May 26 – Jan 3
Seattle WashingtonDec 26 – Jan 30Feb 6 – Sep 5Jun 3 – Jan 1
Memphis TennesseeDec 29 – Feb 2Feb 9 – May 4, Aug 28 – Oct 3Apr 28 – Aug 25, Oct 12 – Dec 31
Birmingham AlabamaJan 3 – Feb 7Feb 14 – Apr 27, Sep 5 – Oct 7Apr 23 – Aug 18, Oct 20 – Dec 26
Little Rock ArkansasJan 3 – Feb 7Feb 14 – Apr 30, Sep 4 – Oct 4Apr 24 – Aug 21, Oct 19 – Dec 25
Atlanta GeorgiaJan 6 – Feb 10Feb 17 – May 13, Aug 4 – Oct 5Apr 26 – Sep 3, Sep 17 – Dec 23
Vancouver British ColumbiaJan 9 – Feb 13Feb 20 – Sep 1Jun 7 – Dec 20
Charlotte North CarolinaJan 12 – Feb 16Feb 23 – May 6, Aug 14 – Oct 1May 1 – Aug 27, Sep 27 – Dec 18
Raleigh North CarolinaJan 13 – Feb 17Feb 24 – May 10, Aug 12 – Sep 30May 5 – Aug 31, Sep 25 – Dec 19
Nashville TennesseeJan 13 – Feb 17Feb 24 – May 3, Aug 30 – Sep 27May 6 – Aug 24, Oct 14 – Dec 18
Tulsa OklahomaJan 13 – Feb 17Feb 24 – May 6, Sep 6 – Sep 27May 4 – Aug 27, Oct 22 – Dec 19
Richmond VirginiaJan 16 – Feb 20Feb 27 – May 10, Aug 13 – Sep 25May 10 – Aug 31, Sep 26 – Dec 19
Louisville KentuckyJan 16 – Feb 20Feb 27 – May 21, Jul 16 – Sep 19May 15 – Dec 18
Oklahoma City OklahomaJan 17 – Feb 21Feb 28 – May 1, Sep 6 – Sep 27May 3 – Aug 22, Oct 22 – Dec 17
London EnglandJan 17 – Feb 21Feb 28 – Sep 10Jun 6 – Jan 5
Cardiff WalesJan 17 – Feb 21Feb 28 – Sep 11Jun 12 – Jan 9
Washington District of ColumbiaJan 18 – Feb 22Mar 1 – May 22, Aug 3 – Sep 21Sep 16 – Jan 2, May 18 – Sep 12
Manchester EnglandJan 18 – Feb 22Mar 1 – Sep 1Jun 12 – Dec 31
Albuquerque New MexicoJan 19 – Feb 23Mar 2 – Apr 21, Aug 26 – Sep 15May 15 – Aug 16, Oct 11 – Dec 18
Bristol EnglandJan 19 – Feb 23Mar 2 – Sep 9Jun 12 – Jan 6
St. Louis MissouriJan 21 – Feb 25Mar 4 – May 13, Aug 13 – Sep 17May 17 – Sep 3, Sep 26 – Dec 10
Baltimore MarylandJan 22 – Feb 26Mar 5 – May 22, Jul 8 – Jul 18, Jul 24 – Sep 20May 19 – Jan 5
Salt Lake City UtahJan 22 – Feb 26Mar 5 – May 9, Aug 30 – Sep 5May 31 – Sep 3, Oct 22 – Dec 15
Kansas City MissouriJan 23 – Feb 27Mar 6 – May 14, Aug 17 – Sep 13May 19 – Sep 4, Oct 1 – Dec 17
Dublin IrelandJan 26 – Mar 2Mar 9 – Aug 31Jun 19 – Dec 25
Belfast Northern IrelandJan 27 – Mar 3Mar 10 – Aug 25Jun 18 – Dec 22
Philadelphia PennsylvaniaJan 28 – Mar 4Mar 11 – May 29, Jul 5 – Sep 18May 25 – Dec 25
Cincinnati OhioJan 29 – Mar 5Mar 12 – Jun 2, Jul 5 – Sep 14May 23 – Dec 9
Birmingham EnglandFeb 1 – Mar 8Mar 15 – Aug 28Jun 21 – Dec 25
Columbus OhioFeb 2 – Mar 9Mar 16 – Sep 9May 29 – Dec 11
Indianapolis IndianaFeb 2 – Mar 9Mar 16 – Sep 10May 28 – Dec 10
Glasgow ScotlandFeb 2 – Mar 9Mar 16 – Aug 19Jun 27 – Dec 18
New York New YorkFeb 3 – Mar 10Mar 17 – Sep 15Jun 2 – Jan 4
Pittsburgh PennsylvaniaFeb 4 – Mar 11Mar 18 – Sep 9May 31 – Dec 12
Omaha NebraskaFeb 6 – Mar 13Mar 20 – May 26, Jun 27 – Sep 4May 31 – Dec 5
Boise IdahoFeb 6 – Mar 13Mar 20 – May 23, Aug 26 – Sep 2Jun 7 – Sep 16, Oct 19 – Dec 5
Des Moines IowaFeb 9 – Mar 16Mar 23 – Sep 3Jun 2 – Dec 4
Edinburgh ScotlandFeb 9 – Mar 16Mar 23 – Aug 18Jul 3 – Dec 15
Spokane WashingtonFeb 10 – Mar 17Mar 24 – Aug 20Jun 18 – Nov 29
Cleveland OhioFeb 12 – Mar 19Mar 26 – Sep 7Jun 7 – Dec 27
Chicago IllinoisFeb 13 – Mar 20Mar 27 – Sep 3Jun 10 – Dec 15
Boston MassachusettsFeb 15 – Mar 22Mar 29 – Sep 6Jun 12 – Dec 24
Denver ColoradoFeb 16 – Mar 23Mar 30 – May 14, Aug 8 – Aug 31Jun 11 – Sep 8, Sep 22 – Nov 22
Billings MontanaFeb 16 – Mar 23Mar 30 – May 29, Aug 12 – Aug 21Jun 19 – Sep 22, Oct 2 – Nov 21
Detroit MichiganFeb 17 – Mar 24Mar 31 – Sep 3Jun 11 – Dec 15
Milwaukee WisconsinFeb 20 – Mar 27Apr 3 – Aug 29Jun 17 – Dec 13
Minneapolis MinnesotaFeb 21 – Mar 28Apr 4 – Aug 26Jun 12 – Dec 2
Madison WisconsinFeb 24 – Mar 31Apr 7 – Aug 27Jun 17 – Nov 24
Portland MaineFeb 25 – Apr 1Apr 8 – Aug 26Jun 22 – Nov 29
Toronto OntarioFeb 26 – Apr 2Apr 9 – Aug 29Jun 21 – Nov 23
Buffalo New YorkFeb 27 – Apr 3Apr 10 – Sep 1Jun 21 – Dec 10
Fargo North DakotaMar 3 – Apr 7Apr 14 – Aug 18Jun 20 – Nov 14
Burlington VermontMar 4 – Apr 8Apr 15 – Aug 27Jun 25 – Nov 29
Montreal QuebecMar 4 – Apr 8Apr 15 – Aug 24Jun 21 – Nov 23
Ottawa OntarioMar 6 – Apr 10Apr 17 – Aug 23Jun 23 – Nov 16
Halifax Nova ScotiaMar 10 – Apr 14Apr 21 – Aug 25Jul 10 – Dec 1
Calgary AlbertaMar 11 – Apr 15Apr 22 – Jul 31Jul 13 – Oct 25
Edmonton AlbertaMar 13 – Apr 17Apr 24 – Jul 31Jul 8 – Nov 3
Winnipeg ManitobaMar 13 – Apr 17Apr 24 – Aug 10Jul 1 – Nov 6
Anchorage AlaskaMar 16 – Apr 20Apr 27 – Jul 17Jul 15 – Nov 13
Los Angeles CaliforniaJun 26 – Jul 20Jul 27 – Jun 25Jan 1 – Dec 31
Charleston South CarolinaJun 27 – Aug 1Aug 8 – May 12Sep 21 – Sep 2
Honolulu HawaiiJul 14 – Aug 18Aug 25 – Jun 23Jan 1 – Dec 31
Jacksonville FloridaJul 18 – Aug 22Aug 29 – Apr 21Oct 12 – Aug 12
Miami FloridaJul 26 – Aug 30Sep 6 – May 6Oct 20 – Aug 27
Sacramento CaliforniaAug 3 – Sep 7Sep 14 – Apr 29Oct 30 – Aug 21
New Orleans LouisianaAug 4 – Sep 8Sep 15 – Apr 15Oct 29 – Aug 6
Orlando FloridaAug 7 – Sep 11Sep 18 – Apr 5Nov 1 – Jul 27
Tampa FloridaAug 8 – Sep 12Sep 19 – Apr 7Nov 2 – Jul 29
Houston TexasAug 13 – Sep 17Sep 24 – Apr 11Nov 8 – Aug 2
Austin TexasAug 13 – Sep 17Sep 24 – Apr 14Nov 8 – Aug 5
San Antonio TexasAug 14 – Sep 18Sep 25 – Apr 6Nov 9 – Jul 28
Fresno CaliforniaAug 18 – Sep 22Sep 29 – Apr 14Nov 21 – Aug 6
Las Vegas NevadaAug 23 – Sep 27Oct 4 – Mar 31Nov 27 – Jul 23
Tucson ArizonaAug 31 – Oct 5Oct 12 – Mar 21Dec 1 – Jul 13
Phoenix ArizonaSep 9 – Oct 14Oct 21 – Mar 9Dec 12 – Jul 1
Canberra Australian Capital TerritoryJul 10 – Aug 14Aug 21 – Mar 22Nov 12 – Jun 17
Sydney New South Wales–Jan 1 – Dec 31Jan 1 – Dec 31
Melbourne Victoria–Jan 1 – Dec 31Jan 1 – Dec 31
Brisbane Queensland–Jan 1 – Dec 31Jan 1 – Dec 31
Adelaide South Australia–Jan 1 – Dec 31Jan 1 – Dec 31
Auckland New Zealand–Jan 1 – Dec 31Jan 1 – Dec 31
Perth Western AustraliaDec 12 – Jan 5Jan 12 – Dec 11Jan 1 – Dec 31
Hobart TasmaniaApr 22 – May 27Jun 3 – Apr 17Jan 1 – Dec 31

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