Kale ‘Redbor’
* Botanical name: Brassica oleracea ‘Redbor’
* What it is: Although this cabbage-family plant is edible, it’s so striking in color and form that it’s usually grown as an ornamental. ‘Redbor’ is a tall, upright plant with showy, frilly leaves that really come into their own in fall, turning a rich, dark plum-purple. Plants are very cold-hardy and withstand frosts until December most years before finally wilting down.
* Size: 2 feet tall. Plant 1 foot apart.
* Where to use: Great for adding color to a vegetable garden, but this is also an excellent pot centerpiece plant for fall, either in a new fall pot or to replace summer annuals that are petering out by late summer. Full sun to part shade.
* Care: Can be started from seed or bought as transplants. Kale doesn’t like summer heat, so grow as an early-spring crop or, better yet, as an August- or early-September plant to mature in October and November. Seed can be started directly in the ground outside or started inside 6-8 weeks in advance of planting out. Harvest young leaves if you’re eating it. Watch for cabbageworms, the bane of cabbage-family plants (Bt is an organic control). Work compost or a handful of granular organic fertilizer into the soil at planting. In a pot, water daily and fertilize monthly.
* Great partner: Purple cabbage, Brussels sprouts and/or red beets are good edible partners. In a fall pot, pair with dwarf asters, sage, dusty miller and/or purple pansies.
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