When to plant kale
Kale is a cool-season crop that tolerates light frost and prefers to grow in cool weather. Frost makes kale sweeter, so the fall crop is usually the better one.
- Start seeds indoors 6–8 weeks before the last spring frost.
- Transplant outside 2–4 weeks before the last spring frost.
- Sow seeds outdoors 2–4 weeks before the last spring frost.
- For a fall crop, sow 7–10 weeks before the first fall frost.
About 55 days from planting to harvest.
Get exact dates for your garden
Planting dates by hardiness zone
| Zone | Typical last frost | Start indoors | Transplant | Fall crop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2a | May 24 | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 28 – Jul 19 |
| 3b | May 17 | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jul 16 – Aug 6 |
| 4a | May 12 | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jul 20 – Aug 10 |
| 4b | May 8 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jul 23 – Aug 13 |
| 5a | May 3 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 5 – Apr 19 | Jul 27 – Aug 17 |
| 5b | May 1 | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 3 – Apr 17 | Aug 2 – Aug 23 |
| 6a | Apr 29 | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | Aug 8 – Aug 29 |
| 6b | Apr 22 | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Mar 25 – Apr 8 | Aug 13 – Sep 3 |
| 7a | Apr 16 | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Aug 16 – Sep 6 |
| 7b | Apr 5 | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Aug 23 – Sep 13 |
| 8a | Mar 29 | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Aug 29 – Sep 19 |
| 8b | Mar 16 | Jan 19 – Feb 2 | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | Sep 5 – Sep 26 |
| 9a | Mar 3 | Jan 6 – Jan 20 | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Sep 16 – Oct 7 |
| 9b | Feb 20 | Dec 26 – Jan 9 | Jan 23 – Feb 6 | Sep 26 – Oct 17 |
| 10a | Mar 2 | Jan 5 – Jan 19 | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Sep 22 – Oct 13 |
Zone rows use the median frost dates of all ZIP codes in that zone. Zones measure winter cold, not season length, so two places in the same zone can have frost dates weeks apart — use your ZIP code for real dates.
When to plant kale in major cities
| City | Median last frost | Start indoors | Transplant | Fall crop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | Mar 13 | Jan 16 – Jan 30 | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Sep 8 – Sep 29 |
| Portland, OR | Feb 25 | Dec 31 – Jan 14 | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Sep 22 – Oct 13 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | Apr 25 | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | Aug 9 – Aug 30 |
| Denver, CO | Apr 30 | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | Aug 3 – Aug 24 |
| Minneapolis, MN | Apr 23 | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | Aug 7 – Aug 28 |
| Chicago, IL | Apr 10 | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Aug 27 – Sep 17 |
| Detroit, MI | Apr 27 | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | Aug 16 – Sep 6 |
| Kansas City, MO | Apr 4 | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Aug 24 – Sep 14 |
| Columbus, OH | Apr 20 | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | Aug 15 – Sep 5 |
| Boston, MA | Apr 4 | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Aug 31 – Sep 21 |
| New York, NY | Mar 30 | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Sep 11 – Oct 2 |
| Philadelphia, PA | Mar 30 | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Sep 8 – Sep 29 |
| Washington, DC | Mar 29 | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Aug 30 – Sep 20 |
| Charlotte, NC | Mar 30 | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Aug 25 – Sep 15 |
| Nashville, TN | Apr 1 | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | Aug 22 – Sep 12 |
| Atlanta, GA | Mar 25 | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Aug 31 – Sep 21 |
| Dallas, TX | Mar 2 | Jan 5 – Jan 19 | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Sep 20 – Oct 11 |
Growing kale: quick facts
| Frost tolerance | Hardy: survives hard frosts, down to about 25°F or colder |
|---|---|
| Soil temperature | at least 40°F to germinate; 45–85°F is ideal |
| Planting depth | ¼–½ in |
| Spacing | 12–18 in |
| Germination | 5–10 days |
| Days to harvest | about 55 days from planting out |
Typical figures from university extension planting guides. Seed packets give the best numbers for a specific variety.