6 Easy Steps to Grow Kale Indoors
Grow Kale Indoors!
Are you looking to add kale to your fresh supply of home-grown greens? Grow kale indoors with these six easy steps! Not only is kale tasty, it’s packed with lots of vitamins and minerals. Kale is a great food to grow at home in small spaces. Here are six basic steps to get kale growing now inside your home! And I’ve included two dwarf (small) varieties of kale that work great for growing indoors, especially if you need to use a grow light.
Containers for Growing Kale Indoors
Kale can be grown successfully in containers as small as 6″. The container should have holes in the bottom, allowing for excess water to drain out. Good drainage is important.
Plastic self-watering containers are great for growing food indoors like kale. They are fairly inexpensive, last a long time, and come in many different sizes and colors. These self-watering pots hold water at the bottom which gently gets sucked up into the soil.
There are lots of types of self-watering containers, some are more efficient and effective than others. But if you have a tendency to forget to water you plants every day, a self-watering planter might be your best solution.
Dwarf Blue Curled Vates kale variety:
To grow kale indoors, with limited space, I recommend trying the Dwarf Blue Curled Vates variety of kale! It grows fast and you can start cutting leaves off to eat in just under 2 months (approximately 55 days). I use inexpensive 6″ tall x 4.7″ wide plastic self-watering planters. This variety typically grows to about 12″ tall and 12″ wide, but is known to grow as tall as 15″ or slightly taller. This height is perfect if you need to use a halo grow light (see below).
Soil
A healthy kale plant needs high-quality soil, rich in organic matter. Purchase a good organic soil formulated for growing vegetables. Or mix up your own blend by adding nutrient-rich organic compost or fertilizer to regular top soil. A small countertop compost bin is a great way to create your own nutrient-rich soil supplement. Here’s a blog post I wrote recently about Best Compost for Vegetable Garden.
For growing vegetables in containers, I often use Wonder Soil. The base is a coconut coir which is super lightweight, and expands when water is added. It’s great because you can order it online and avoid dragging a big bag of soil from the local garden center all the way home. This stuff is organic, packed with the nutrients your kale needs, and it’s super convenient to use for container gardening.
Sun (or a Grow Light)
Kale needs 6-8 hours of sunlight per day. If you have a direct sun windowsill, this might be a great spot to try growing your kale. If the sunny spot doesn’t give your kale enough sun, or if you don’t have a sunny spot indoors at all, use a grow light!
If you grow a dwarf variety of kale, like the Dwarf Blue Curled Vates, the height is limited. This is great because you can use a halo grow light which can be adjusted to 24″ tall. Choose a halo (or similar) grow light with an auto-timer for added convenience. Set it to 6 or 8 hours of light, and it turns on and off the same time each day.
The halo grow light I use sticks right into the soil in the planter. There are also some that are on a stand which you’ll place next to your kale.
Seeds or Seedlings
Dwarf Siberian Kale is another great variety to grow indoors. It grows about 15-17″ tall, and a slightly sweeter flavor than most other kale varieties.
Plant your kale seeds according to the seed packet instructions. Different kale varieties could have different instructions! Generally, kale seeds should be planted about ¼ inch deep (very shallow). You may want to plant several seeds in a small plastic cup or bowl first, it’s possible not all kale seeds will germinate. After a few days, you’ll see them sprouting and know how many containers you’ll need in a couple of weeks, once your kale seedlings get a little bigger! Transplant seedlings into their own container so their roots can grow and expand.
You can also purchase seedlings from your local garden center. But keep in mind, they’ll probably only have one or two kale varieties to choose from, and probably not a dwarf variety.
Water
Keep the soil moist but not soggy. A healthy soil will retain moisture without being soggy. Water your kale regularly, making sure to check the soil moisture level before watering. Kale grows best when the soil is evenly moist, but be careful not to overwater or let the soil dry out completely.
Fertilize
Fertilize your kale plant as needed. Kale is a heavy feeder, so you may want to consider using a liquid fertilizer every 2-4 weeks if you didn’t start off using a good quality soil full of nutrients. Follow the instructions on the package for the best results.
So why is growing kale indoors a smart idea? For starters, it’s a great way to have a steady supply of fresh greens year-round. Kale is also highly nutritious, with high levels of vitamins K, A, and C, as well as minerals like iron and calcium. Plus, growing your own kale allows you to control the growing conditions and ensure that your plant is free from pesticides and other chemicals.
In conclusion, growing kale indoors is a fun and rewarding way to add a nutritious green to your diet. With a little bit of care and attention, you can have a thriving kale plant in no time (under 2 months!).
Here’s more information on growing Dwarf Blue Curled Vates variety of kale from Burpee, one of my favorite Seed Suppliers. Hint: if you just want to order one or two packets of seeds, it’s usually cheaper to order them from Amazon (if you have Prime for shipping). Otherwise, if you plan to order multiple seed packets it might be a better deal to order directly from their website.
