Kale 'Nero di Toscana'

* * * * * Based on 14 reviews
Kale is a wonderful crop for the winter vegetable garden. The flavour and texture improves once the frosts have started in early winter releasing it's sugars. More
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Or buy this as part of our A Year of Seeds - Veg and Easy Summer Veg Collection.

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Kale is a wonderful crop for the winter vegetable garden. The flavour and texture improve once the frosts have started in early winter releasing its sugars. Kale is a fantastic winter 'superfood'.

Kale 'Nero di Toscana' has upright smoky green-black leaves, crinkled and handsome like a tall Savoy cabbage. It's very popular for autumn and winter Italian cooking. I love this in a finely chopped topping for crostini, mixed with a few capers and green olives.

Genus Brassica oleracea acephala
Group/Species Italian Heritage
Variety Nero di Toscana
Type Hardy Annual
Common Name Kale, syn. 'Cavolo Nero', Tuscan Kale, Black Cabbage
Soil Type Chalky, Neutral, Sandy
Site Full Sun, Part Shade
Moisture Well-drained
Spacing 90cm (36in) apart in each direction when the plants have 5-6 leaves
Sowing, Seeds, Planting Sow early summer, February -July. Can be started under cover (in individual cells to minimise root disturbance) or sown direct.
Care Tips Remove yellowing leaves, mulch thickly and keep weed-free. This is a very disease-resistant plant. This grows well in a container pot. Will tolerate poor soil.
Storing Store in the fridge for up to 10 days, or in the freezer for 6 months.
Harvesting After the first autumn frost (October-May) - this improves texture and flavour - harvest by removing young leaves with a knife when they are 10-12.5cm long. Don't harvest all from one plant, cut a few leaves from several. Pick regularly. Kale is also a good cut-and-come-again crop, with the youngest leaves making a good addition to mixed leaf salads.
Cooking Notes Eat the baby leaves raw in salads, or saute gently with olive oil, garlic and chilli. Can also be boiled, steamed or added to soups/stews.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • Sow Under Cover/Plant Indoors
  • Direct Sow/Plant Outdoors
  • Flowers/Harvest
Advice
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Kale 'Nero di Toscana' reviews

* * * * * Average based on 14 reviews

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Reviewed 13th August 2019 by Christine

Not sown this year. No comment.
This review form is either not particularly well designed, or working properly. I can't delete, or skip something

Reply from the Sarah Raven Team:

"Thank you for your review. We are sorry to hear of your disappointment with your 'Kale' seeds and have arranged for you to receive replacements."

Posted 14th August 2019

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Reviewed 4th August 2019 by John

growing well as expected..........

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Reviewed 1st August 2019 by Miss Handy

Don't know. No not really.

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Reviewed 1st August 2019 by Martin

Needed slug protection - average germination rate.

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Reviewed 1st August 2019 by Ms E Vizard-Williams

These have grown really well and even though it's still only July, they look ready for eating! They look just like the picture on the website!

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Reviewed 31st July 2019 by Annie

Amazing results. Really vigorous plants. Have given lots away to friends and still eating the last of them.

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Reviewed 31st July 2019 by William

Cant fault but there is always room for improvement?

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Reviewed 31st July 2019 by Pip

Good results. most came up

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Reviewed 31st July 2019 by Kathy

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Reviewed 31st July 2019 by Diana

Plants are growing well and are sculptural in the veg plan.

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Reviewed 31st July 2019 by Mary-Jane

Love these seeds which germinated at record speed

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Reviewed 31st July 2019 by Christine

Not sown this year. No comment.
This review form is either not particularly well designed, or working properly. I can't delete, or skip something

A staple and reliable vegetable grown in containers for months!

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Reviewed 3rd June 2018 by JANET WILSON

I planted my kale seeds indoors last August and then moved them outside and transplanted 4 plants into each of the 4 60 litre canvas grow-bags on my patio. I have been harvesting the 7-inch long leaves every week for months! I simply cut the longest leaves from each plant but leave the smaller leaves to grow bigger for next weeks dinner. I wash the leaves in salted water then whizz dry-ish in a salad spinner then chop a bunch into strips.

Its gorgeous sauteed with olive oil, black pepper and stirred into linguine or spaghetti with a dollop of grated parmesan cheese and is so quick and easy! I'm also going to make a Tuscan soup with it and freeze batches for my daughter to take into work.

I've just ordered more seed to start off in Jiffy 7's before transplanting into a very long border in our front garden where, due to their size and growth habit they should look good and feed us, once again, well into next year. Home-grown is so much healthier as I use organic fertiliser; and kale is full of fab goodness. I live in north-west England on the coast and this vegetable has grown so very well. Thanks Sarah x

Nero de Toscana

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Reviewed 11th March 2017 by Rachel Joy

We live in the chilly North of Scotland. I grew these last year, having started them in the greenhouse, and they have done brilliantly this winter and are still feeding us in early March. Delicious.

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