Kale planting dates by zone

A spring crop and a better fall crop

University of Minnesota Extension says kale is cold tolerant and keeps producing new leaves well beyond the first fall frosts; even after the plants have frozen, the leaves can be picked and cooked straight from the garden. NC State Extension says kale gives its best yields and quality in early spring or fall, and that waiting for frost or cold weather gives sweeter leaves.

Heat is what ends the spring crop. Minnesota says the spring crop tastes best if you harvest before the weather turns hot and dry, when growth slows and the leaves turn tough and strong-flavored, and that the best leaves come from fast growth without heat or water stress. In the fall, it says, the cooler the weather the better the flavor, until hard freezes stop growth.

In Florida kale is a winter crop. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says it can be started from seed anytime from September through January or February and enjoyed through spring.

Sowing, setting out and spacing

The table dates three spring jobs from each zone’s median last spring freeze, the offsets our seed-starting tool uses: start seed indoors 6 weeks before, then set plants out or sow outdoors 3 weeks before. The sources sit close to that. NC State plants four weeks before the last frost date for a summer harvest. Minnesota sows outdoors as soon as the soil can be worked, or starts seed indoors in early April, about four weeks before transplanting, and hardens the seedlings for two or three days before they go out.

NC State sows seed 1/2 inch deep and 1 inch apart, or sets transplants 6 inches apart in rows 2 to 3 feet apart, and thins to 1 foot apart. Minnesota sows one-fourth to one-half inch deep in rows 18 to 30 inches apart and thins to eight to 12 inches, or transplants eight inches apart; for baby leaves only, it spaces plants as close as four inches.

Soil and water count. NC State and Minnesota both give a soil pH of 6.0 to 7.5, and NC State says kale needs nitrogen for good color and tenderness. Minnesota calls one inch of rain a week good and says plants that are overheated or short of water make bitter, pungent leaves. NC State mulches with 2 to 3 inches of organic material, such as straw, to hold moisture, keep the soil cool and stop weeds.

Rotate. Minnesota grows kale where cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collards, kale, mustard, turnip or rutabaga have not grown for the past four years.

Planting for fall

NC State plants again six weeks before the first frost date for an autumn and early winter harvest. Minnesota sows direct about three months before the average frost date for a fall crop, or starts seed indoors in June.

The table’s last fall planting counts back 36 days from each zone’s median first fall freeze: our crop table’s 60 days from sowing to harvest less the 24 days of frost a hardy crop like kale takes. It is the latest date that still makes a crop, not the best one; the earlier fall dates the sources give leave time for a long harvest.

Choosing a variety

NC State gives days to harvest from seeding: ‘Improved Dwarf Siberian’ (50 days), very cold tolerant with frilly leaves; ‘Red Russian’ (50 days), with purple stems and flat leaves more tender than frilly kale; ‘Redbor’ (55 days), whose burgundy leaves darken with cold; and ‘Toscano’ (65 days), the dinosaur type, which tolerates heat and cold.

For warm winters, UF/IFAS picks varieties that are slow to bolt: Tuscan kale, which often lasts into summer in Florida, ‘Dwarf Blue Curled Vates’ and ‘Winterbor’. Minnesota says Russian or Siberian kale is a very similar plant of a different species, and that the swede midge particularly likes red Russian varieties.

Southern timing

UF/IFAS starts kale from seed in Florida from September through January or February. Texas A&M AgriLife’s home vegetable gardening guide plants collards and kale 2 to 6 weeks before the frost-free date in spring and 8 to 12 weeks before the first freeze in fall, at 6 to 12 inches apart in rows 18 to 36 inches apart, and gives 50 to 80 days to harvest.

Harvest

NC State picks baby greens 20 to 30 days after seeding and mature leaves 50 to 75 days after, taking the big outer leaves and letting the center keep growing. UF/IFAS harvests the lower leaves but no more than a third of the plant at a time, about 70 to 80 days after seeding or 55 days after transplanting.

Minnesota picks single leaves as soon as they reach a usable size, or cuts the whole plant at the soil line. Because the leaves can be picked well into the cold season, it says, gardeners traditionally eat them until they are gone.

Common problems

Minnesota names flea beetles, which chew small holes in seedlings; imported cabbageworm, cabbage looper and diamondback moth larvae on the leaves; cabbage maggots on the roots; and the swede midge, which distorts and stunts plants. For disease it names Alternaria leaf spots, black rot, which makes yellow triangles at the leaf edge, and clubroot, which swells the roots.

Bitter or tough leaves are a growing problem, not a pest. Minnesota says heat and water stress make leaves tough and strong-flavored; NC State says kale tolerates drought but its quality and flavor suffer.

Common mistakes

• Harvesting the spring crop into hot weather. Minnesota says heat makes the leaves tough and strong-flavored.
• Letting the plants go short of water. Minnesota and NC State say stress makes bitter leaves.
• Pulling the whole plant at once. NC State takes the outer leaves and lets the center keep growing.
• Taking too much at a time. UF/IFAS takes no more than a third of the plant at one picking.
• Planting where cabbage-family crops grew recently. Minnesota waits four years.

We found no kale source for South Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama or Mississippi that we read for this page. The Southern timing here is UF/IFAS’s, NC State’s and Texas A&M AgriLife’s.

Questions

When should I plant kale in spring?

NC State Extension plants four weeks before the last frost date. The table on this page dates indoor sowing 6 weeks and setting out or sowing outdoors 3 weeks before each zone’s median last spring freeze, from NOAA records.

Can kale survive frost?

Yes. University of Minnesota Extension says kale keeps producing new leaves well beyond the first fall frosts, and even frozen leaves can be harvested and cooked. NC State says the leaves taste sweeter after frost or cold weather.

When do I plant kale for a fall crop?

NC State plants six weeks before the first frost date, and Minnesota sows about three months before it. The table’s last fall planting is 36 days before each zone’s median first fall freeze.

How do I harvest kale so it keeps growing?

NC State picks the big outer leaves and lets the center keep growing. UF/IFAS takes the lower leaves, never more than a third of the plant at once.

Why is my kale bitter?

Minnesota says plants that are overheated or struggling for water make bitter, pungent leaves. Water through dry spells and pick the spring crop before hot weather.

Sources

Freeze dates on this page are NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, for every station the ZIP codes in each zone cite. Zones are the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. The planting rules are named beside the table. Growing advice is quoted from the extension publications below, each written for its own area.

• University of Minnesota Extension, Growing collards and kale in home gardens , by Marissa Schuh and Jill MacKenzie (Reviewed 2026). Written for: Minnesota (USDA zones 3a–5a).
• NC State Extension, Kale (Grow It, Eat It, AG-808-03) , by Lucy Bradley (May 1, 2026). Written for: North Carolina (USDA zones 6b–9a).
• UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, Kale (Accessed October 2026). Written for: Florida (USDA zones 8b–11b).
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Texas Home Vegetable Gardening Guide (EHT-077) , by Joseph Masabni (June 2014). Written for: Texas (USDA zones 6b–10b).

How we write our guides

Published October 29, 2026