Kale
Brassica oleracea var. sabellica
Cool-season greens that hold well through a Panhandle winter.
When to plant in Jackson
Kale is planted more than once a year here. Both windows are shown below and labelled; they are two separate plantings, not one long one, and the months between them are not part of either.
- Direct sow · SeptemberOpen now
September 1, 2026 – December 31, 2026
UF/IFAS North Florida planting dates: September to February. First half, split at 31 December because a window cannot wrap the year.
- Direct sow · JanuaryOpens in 12 weeks
January 1, 2027 – February 28, 2027
UF/IFAS North Florida planting dates: September to February. Second half of the same window, carried over from the previous autumn.
- Harvest · OctoberOpens in 15 days
October 21, 2026 – December 31, 2026
Derived, not published as a window by the guide: the September to February planting plus the guide's 50–70 days to harvest from sowing. First half, split at 31 December.
- Harvest · JanuaryOpens in 12 weeks
January 1, 2027 – May 9, 2027
Derived, not published as a window by the guide: the September to February planting plus the guide's 50–70 days to harvest from sowing. Second half of the same period.
Growing it
- Days to maturity
- 50–70
- Sun
- Full Sun
Kale is grown here on the same calendar as collards but is a little less tolerant of late heat at both ends of the season. Direct sown or set out as transplants; cut leaf by leaf over a long period.
From the guide: UF/IFAS gives the North Florida planting dates for this crop as September to February. It gives 50–70 days from seed to harvest, 8–12 inches apart in rows 18 inches apart, sown ¼–½ in. deep. On the crop itself it says: Good source of greens late fall through early spring in north and central Florida. Harvest outer leaves, but no more than 1/3 of the plant at one time.
Where these dates come from: the North Florida column of the UF/IFAS Extension Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP 103/VH021), which defines North Florida as everything above State Road 40. Walton County is well inside it, and the Central and South Florida columns of the same table give different months. The guide is written for home and market gardens, so its spacing and days-to-harvest figures are a starting point for a field planting rather than a commercial schedule, and days to harvest varies by variety.
Common problems
- Aphids
- Cabbage looper
- Imported cabbageworm
- Diamondback moth
- Downy mildew