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Kale seeds are widely available in garden centres and from online seed suppliers. Young plants may also be available in spring and early summer, from the same sources.

You can sow kale indoors in mid-spring, to get an early start. Fill a modular tray with multi-purpose compost, water well, then make a 1cm deep hole in each module. Sow two seeds in each, then cover with compost. If both germinate, remove the weaker seedling.

Transplant the young kale plants outdoors (see the transplanting section below), in early summer, after hardening off.

Sow kale seeds outdoors from March to June, into prepared ground (see above). Spring sowings will provide harvests of leaves for cooking from autumn onwards, while early summer sowings provide winter and spring crops. Make sowings little and often for harvesting as mini salad leaves.

Draw out a shallow drill, 1cm (½in) deep, using a stick or the blade of a trowel, then water along the base if dry.

Sow the seeds thinly along the drill. If sowing more than one row, space them 15cm (6in) apart.

Once the seedlings germinate, thin them out initially to 7.5cm (3in) apart, removing the weaker ones. The thinnings can be used as baby leaves in salads.

Protect seedlings from slugs and snails, and birds if necessary - see the problem solving section below.

Young plants should be either transplanted to their final site in early summer, or thinned out further to 45cm (18in) apart, moving the spare plants to form new rows – see Transplanting, below. If growing as a cut-and-come-again salad crop, rather than growing to maturity, thinning isn’t usually necessary.

Water kale regularly when young, until growing strongly. After that, plants should only need watering during dry weather. 

Apply a thick layer of mulch, such as well-rotted manure or garden compost, around the plants to help hold moisture in the soil and deter weeds.  

A spring feed of nitrogen-rich fertiliser will give overwintered plants a boost and improve harvests. 

Keep seedlings and young plants weed-free, to reduce competition for light, water and nutrients.

See our tips on controlling weeds.

Tall varieties should be supported with a sturdy bamboo cane, especially in exposed sites. This will prevent winter gales buffeting these top-heavy plants and potentially loosening the roots.

Take care to protect seedlings and young plants from slugs and snails.

Birds and cabbage white caterpillars may also be a problem, in which case cover the plants with insect-proof mesh or fleece,, supported on a structure of bamboo canes.

As kale is a brassica, it is also susceptible to cabbage root fly, although less so than many other brassica crops. To deter them, you can place a felt cabbage collar around the base of the stems. These also help to prevent weed growth and some may also deter slugs and snails.