How to grow kale

Frost-hardy · Cabbage family

When to sow and plant

Start indoors 22 February – 8 March
Plant out 15–22 March
Sow outdoors 15–22 March

Based on: average for Germany, last frost 19 April, safe from 6 May

Where the dates come from

The weeks come from our sources; the dates use the average frost in Germany. Enter a German postcode to get dates for your area.

Start indoors: 6–8 weeks before the last frost (Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County: Beginning a Vegetable Garden)
Plant out: 4–5 weeks before the last frost (USU Extension: How to Grow Kale in Your Garden)
Sow outdoors: 4–5 weeks before the last frost (USU Extension: How to Grow Kale in Your Garden)

Good and bad neighbours

Good neighbours · 1

Pea, Sugar snap and snow pea, Bush bean, Pole bean, Runner bean, Broad bean (fava bean)Expert rule· C
Legumes fix nitrogen that cabbage can use – but it is only released once their roots rot.
C: Expert rule with a reason
Pea Sugar snap and snow pea Bush bean Pole bean Runner bean Broad bean (fava bean)

Disputed · 3

GarlicDisputed· X
Charts call garlic a bad neighbour for cabbage. Field trials in China and India instead found fewer cabbage white caterpillars, aphids and diamondback moths.
X: Sources disagree
Garlic
OnionDisputed· X
Charts call onions a bad neighbour for cabbage. A field trial in India found fewer diamondback moth caterpillars next to onions.
X: Sources disagree
Onion
LeekDisputed· X
BUND lists leeks as good cabbage neighbours; the Rhineland-Palatinate garden academy advises against them for Chinese cabbage and kale.
X: Sources disagree
Leek

Gardeners’ lore, not proven · 3

Celeriac, CeleryLore: good· D
Considered a good pair (often said to deter cabbage whites); no study found.
D: Tradition, named by at least two sources
Celeriac Celery
RadishLore: good· D
Considered a good pair; radishes are said to lure flea beetles away from cabbage. Not proven. Both are brassicas (clubroot).
D: Tradition, named by at least two sources
Radish
PotatoLore: bad· D
Traditionally seen as bad neighbours; no proven reason.
D: Tradition, named by at least two sources
Potato

Crop rotation

After the cabbage family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years (sources: 4–5 years).

The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.
Example: grown here in 2026, again from 2031.
If clubroot has appeared in the bed: no plants of the cabbage family for at least 7 years, not even mustard as green manure.
Heavy feeders two years in a row on the same bed are not a mistake, but they take more out of the soil.

At a glance

Family: Cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
Nutrient needs: Heavy feeder
Frost: Hardy, tolerates frost
Spacing (row × plant): 61 × 30 cm (24 × 12 in)
Plants per m²: 5.5
Per square foot (30 × 30 cm): 1 plant
Life cycle: Annual
Harvest: After 25–55 days from sowing

Spacing according to USU Extension: How to Grow Kale in Your Garden. Other sources: 69 × 46 cm (27 × 18 in) (Virginia Cooperative Extension: Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide (426-331/SPES-673P), Table 5).

Questions and answers

When can I plant out kale?

Plant out, average for Germany: 15–22 March. Enter a German postcode above for your area, or your own frost date in the planting calendar.

How far apart should I plant kale?

61 × 30 cm (24 × 12 in) (row × plant), according to USU Extension: How to Grow Kale in Your Garden.

What grows well next to kale?

Pea, Sugar snap and snow pea, Bush bean, Pole bean, Runner bean, Broad bean (fava bean): Good neighbour (C), Garlic: Disputed (X), Onion: Disputed (X), Leek: Disputed (X) and Celeriac, Celery: Gardeners’ lore, not proven (D).

How long a break do kale need in the same bed?

After the cabbage family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years (sources: 4–5 years). The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.

Sources

Show 17 sources

Retrieved on 23 October 2026. Facts in our own words, one source per value.