Practical
Plants

Brassica oleracea palmifolia

Jersey Kale

a biennial member of the Brassica genus in the family Brassicaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
biennial
Height
0.9 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Bees
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves - cooked. A strong cabbage flavour[K].

Plant part
Flowers
Plant part
Leaves

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The long slender stems have been dried and used as walking sticks[4].

Product or use
Wood

Environment

Range
A cultivated form of B. oleracea.
Habitat
Not known in the wild.
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
very acid, acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
high wind, maritime exposure
Wind
Yes
Maritime
Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow in a seedbed outdoors in April. Plant out in summer as space allows. Do not let the seedlings get overcrowded or they will soon become leggy and will not make such good plants. If your seedlings do get leggy, it is possible to plant them rather deeper into the soil - the buried stems will soon form roots and the plant will be better supported.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in full sun in a well-drained fertile preferably alkaline soil[4]. Prefers a heavy soil[1]. Succeeds in any reasonable soil. Succeeds in maritime gardens[4]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.3 to 8.3. Jersey kale is a very tall-growing plant, usually reaching about 1.5 metres tall though it has been seen more than 5 metres tall[4]. The large leaves can be cooked as greens whilst the straight slender stems can be dried and used as walking sticks[4]. A good companion for celery and other aromatic plants since these seem to reduce insect predations[2][3]. Grows badly with potatoes, beet and onions[3]. Grows well with potatoes, beet and onions according to another report[5].

References

  1. Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-050-0

    ↩

  2. Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979-00-00

    ↩

  3. Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978-00-00 ISBN 0-88266-064-0

    ↩1↩2

  4. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  5. Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-304-34324-2

    ↩

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