How to Harvest Kale so It Keeps Growing [10+ Pro Tips!]

Kale is a green leafy vegetable that almost has a superfood status for its impressive nutrient profile. Despite the stereotypes that leafy vegetables are boring, kale is versatile and can be prepared in many ways – cooked, baked, or used raw in salads.

To add to kale’s greatness, this veggie is really easy to grow, even in limited garden spaces.

Still, there is one question commonly asked by beginner gardeners, especially the ones who have seen entire kale plants sold at farmer’s markets. 

The question is: How do you pick kale so it keeps growing? How do you go about picking its nutrient-rich leaves occasionally for meal prep while keeping the plant alive? 

If you follow just a few basic rules, you will easily manage to harvest your kale plants through the season without killing them or ruining their productivity.

Let’s learn how to harvest kale sustainably!

How to Harvest Kale So It Keeps Growing

The first crucial tip for harvesting kale so it keeps growing is to never pick the inner bud. Harvest the older, outside leaves first. Make sure each plant has a minimum of ten leaves before you start harvesting. The perfect size for a kale leaf is about the length of your hand.

When you pick the older leaves first, it will trigger your kale to produce more new leaves. This one, you can keep on harvesting your plant without killing it!

Read on for more pro tips on when to harvest kale and how to harvest it so it keeps on growing.

When to Harvest Kale

Generally speaking, kale is ready to harvest about two months after you’ve planted the seeds.

Each plant should have ten or more leaves. Small, young, tender ones will be in the middle, and the larger ones on the outside. 

However, your kale season will depend on when you’ve started your kale.

Seeds that have been directly sown in your garden right after the soil becomes workable as the spring sets in will be ready for an early summer harvest.

You can also plant young kale plants 3 to 5 weeks before the last spring frost date, but cover them at night if temperatures significantly below freezing are expected.

Seeds sown about three months before the first frost will be available for a fall or winter harvest.

In planting zones 8, 9, and 10, kale can be planted later in the fall and even in the wintertime – it will continue to grow until temps drop below 20°F.

Oh, and did you know that kale leaves have the richest taste in the winter, after they have been touched by light frost?

How to Harvest Kale (Finally!) – Pro Tips and Tricks

1. First and crucial tip: never nip your kale at the bud if you aim to keep it alive!
2. Picking the plant’s bud will do precisely what the phrase suggests. Sure, the bud looks young and tasty, but if you pick it or damage it, the plant will stop growing and will eventually die. 
3. To keep kale alive and productive for long, always pick the older, outside leaves. Never pick kale from the inside out. See the featured image above? I’m holding a leaf that is great for harvesting. The bright green leaves in the center should be left alone.
4. When picking, limit the amount to about one fistful of leaves per plant per harvest. As I said before, you should start with the oldest leaves and from the lowest section of the plant. 
5. On the other hand (no pun intended), don’t spare the old leaves – if you leave them for too long, they will go yellow and wilt anyway. 
6. The optimal size of mature kale leaves is about the length of your hand.
7. When harvesting, discard any yellow or sick-looking leaves. 
8. Picking the older leaves will trigger the plant to grow more young leaves.
9. If you really need the young kale leaves (e.g., for a raw salad), be careful to pick the “middle ones” – the fairly young leaves closer to the older ones and not those close to the bud.
10. You can harvest kale leaves by hand, although it takes some experience to do it neatly and swiftly. Perhaps it is safer and easier to use gardening micro-tip shears (like our favorite Fiskars Micro Tip Pruners!) – especially if you plan to pick younger leaves.

How to Grow Kale FAQs

Learning how to harvest kale without killing it was easy, right?

However, many other interesting questions, tips, and tricks surround this tasty cool-weather leafy green. 

Read our FAQs to become an expert kale grower!

Does Kale Come Back Every Year?

Your regular kale is a biennial plant that is most commonly grown as an annual. That means that, although most people harvest the entire plant at the end of the season, you can keep it going for two years by using the “redux” harvesting method and protecting it during wintertime with row covers or improvised constructions.

However, be aware that in the second year of its life, kale will naturally bolt as the warm weather sets in (see below).

Now, brace yourself, as kale is about to get more exciting. If you want kale that will grow for years without bolting, there are heritage kale varieties, known under the collective names “cottagers kale” or simply “perennial kale.” These include Daubenton kale and Taunton Deane kale. 

Once widely cultivated, these kale varieties fell out of favor because they don’t transport well after the harvest, making them useless for commercial production. Still, they are a perfect choice for home gardeners who can harvest the same plants for years.  

Don’t miss True Leaf Market’s beautiful selection of non-GMO kale seeds!

How Often Should You Water Kale?

Kale is not an overly thirsty plant, but it needs to have a steady supply of water. That means that if the rain gets inconsistent – which is expected in the days of climate change – you will need to provide some additional watering. Provide your round green need about 1 gallon per square foot – or 1 to 1.5 inches – of water per week.

Is Kale a Full Sun Plant?

Kale will grow both in the full sun and in a partially sunny spot. To be precise – it grows best in the full sun but can also tolerate some shade. 

Kale usually bolts if you decide to keep it as a biennial plant. After overwintering, the warm weather will trigger kale’s natural mechanism to reproduce – that is, to produce a flower stalk and, subsequently, the seeds.

Like many other leafy vegetables, as soon as the kale bolts, its leaves will become bitter and unusable for making meals.

The best course of action is that you harvest most of the leaves as soon as you notice that the stalk is emerging, and then let nature run its course if you want to keep the seeds for the following season. 

Note that only open-pollinated varieties will breed true from the seed.

Does Kale Regrow After Picking?

You might have already figured this out from the harvesting tips above, but let’s sum it up. As long as you pick the outer leaves, kale will continue to grow and produce new foliage. In fact, picking the older leaves will actually enhance the new growth.

However, if you pick or damage the central bud of the plant – it’s game over. Your kale plant will not be able to produce any new growth. The same applies to harvesting the entire plant by cutting the stem. Kale cannot regrow from its roots.

What Can You Not Plant Next to Kale?

A general rule is not to pair up any crop with a related plant with similar needs. In the case of kale, that means veggies from the Cabbage (brassica) family, including:
* Broccoli
* Brussels sprouts 
* Cabbage
* Cauliflower
* Kohlrabi

Also, planting other, unrelated leafy greens such as spinach and Swiss chard next to kale is not a good idea either.

Besides competition for the same type of nutrients from the soil, the problem is that these vegetables can fall prey to the same or similar diseases and pests, amplifying any infestation.  

To Take Away

As you see, harvesting kale so it keeps growing is easy-peasy. Just stick to picking the outer leaves, and don’t go rough on the younger ones.

Kale is a generous veggie, and if you have at least a dozen plants, you will easily have bountiful weekly harvests.

Oh, and don’t forget to try these heavenly kale chips!