Kale is a leafy green vegetable that is often used in salads and soups, but it can be cooked in many ways. Growing kale is easy — once you know how much sun kale needs.
How Much Sun Does Kale Need?
Kale is a cool-season crop and needs a lot of sun to grow well. The best kale varieties for growing in the sun are Green Curly Kale, Red Russian Kale, and Lacinato (Dinosaur) Kale.
Kale needs at least 6 hours of direct sun per day. If you have an area that gets more than 6 hours of direct sun during the day, consider using row covers to protect your plants from too much heat and humidity.
Does Kale Prefer Full Sun?
Yes, kale prefers full sun. Kale is an extremely hardy vegetable and can withstand colder temperatures. Kale is also very drought tolerant once established.
Kale is often grown as a companion crop to tomatoes and cucumbers in order to protect them from flea beetles and other pests that may feed on their foliage.
Can Kale Grow in Shade?
Kale is a leafy green vegetable that is rich in vitamins A, C, K, and B6. It is also known to contain many antioxidants that help fight free radicals in the body.
Kale can be grown in shade, but you will need to plant it in a partially shaded area of your garden so that the sun does not scorch its leaves. Kale grows best in cool weather and does not like hot temperatures or strong sunlight. The best time to plant kale is right after the last frost in springtime.
Where Does Kale Grow Best?
Kale is a hardy perennial that will tolerate a wide range of soil conditions, but it grows best in cool weather. Kale prefers a pH level between 6.0 and 7.0 and needs plenty of moisture during the growing season. Kale does not like direct sunlight, so plant it in an area where it will receive shade from trees or buildings. Kale can withstand frost, but it will taste better if they are harvested before the first frost hits the garden.
Kale is easily grown from seed, which should be planted directly into the ground after the last frost in spring or early summer for a fall crop. Seeds should be planted 1 inch deep and spaced 12 inches apart within rows that are spaced 12 feet apart. The seeds need full sun to germinate, so thin young plants when reaching 2 inches tall to 4 inches apart within rows if necessary. It takes about 14 weeks for kale plants to reach maturity at a temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius).
Can Kale Get Too Much Sun?
The answer is yes and no. Kale can handle a bit of sun, but it’s not designed for full sun exposure. The leaves can actually burn if you put them directly in the sun for too long. This will cause the leaves to wilt and turn brown. If the weather is hot and dry, this can happen quickly. You can also see this happen with other leafy greens like lettuce or spinach.
If you see your kale starting to wilt, move it into the shade or water it immediately so that it doesn’t dry out completely.
What Happens if Kale Doesn’t Get Enough Sun?
If your kale plants don’t get enough sun exposure, they won’t produce any leaves at all! Instead of forming large leaves like most plants do when they are young, kale will form little white flowers that look like tiny daisies surrounded by green stems.
These flowers don’t have seeds inside them as many flowers do; instead, they have pollen sacs that contain male reproductive cells that allow the plant to reproduce sexually via pollination by other plant species such as bees or birds.
Conclusion
Kale requires at least 6 hours of sunlight per day for optimal growth and development. If the leafy greens are going to be exposed to sunlight for more than 6 hours, it’s a good idea to cover them with row covers.
