When to Plant Kale
Kale is a hardy cool-season vegetable. It can take a hard frost.
Start seeds indoors 7 to 9 weeks before the last spring frost, and plant out 2 to 4 weeks before the last frost. Or sow it where it will grow, 1 to 4 weeks before the last spring frost. For a fall crop, sow 8 to 11 weeks before the first fall frost. The first harvest comes about 55 to 70 days after sowing.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start seeds indoors | Jan 11 – 25 | Feb 11 – 25 | Mar 13 – 27 |
| Harden off | Feb 8 – 14 | Mar 11 – 17 | Apr 10 – 16 |
| Plant out | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 17 – May 1 |
| Harvest | Mar 7 – May 30 | Apr 7 – Jun 30 | May 7 – Jul 30 |
| Direct-sown: Sow outdoors | Feb 15 – Mar 8 | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | Apr 17 – May 8 |
| Direct-sown: Harvest | Apr 11 – Jul 4 | May 12 – Aug 4 | Jun 11 – Sep 3 |
| Fall: Sow outdoors | Aug 30 – Sep 20 | Aug 9 – 30 | Jul 15 – Aug 5 |
| Fall: Harvest | Oct 24 – Jan 16 | Oct 3 – Dec 26 | Sep 8 – Dec 1 |
Growing kale
Pick the lower leaves as needed; kale tastes sweeter after a few fall frosts.
- Spacing: 12 in apart, in rows 24 in apart. In a raised bed, 1 per sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 55 to 70 from sowing, then about 12 weeks of picking.
- Rotation: kale is in the cabbage family. Plant it where nothing from that family grew in the last two years. See crop rotation.
- Traditional companions: beet, bush bean, celery, chamomile (german), chives, cucumber, edamame, fava bean, garlic, green onion, head lettuce, leaf lettuce, leek, mint, mustard greens, nasturtium, onion (bulb), potato, radish, romaine lettuce, rosemary, sage, shallot, spinach, swiss chard, thyme, zinnia. See companion plants for kale.
- Usually kept apart from: cherry tomato, strawberry, tomato.
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant kale and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
When do I start kale indoors?
7 to 9 weeks before the last spring frost: with a last frost of April 15, that's Feb 11 – 25. Enter your ZIP code above for your own dates.
Can kale go in before the last frost?
Yes. Kale is hardy: plant it out 2 to 4 weeks before the last spring frost.
How long does kale take to grow?
About 55 to 70 days from sowing to the first harvest, which then lasts about 12 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
Can I grow kale in fall?
Yes. Sow 8 to 11 weeks before the first fall frost. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech: Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant (426-331 / SPES-673P, 2025)
- University of Maryland Extension: Vegetable Planting Calendar for central Maryland
- UNH Cooperative Extension: Growing Vegetables: When to Plant your Vegetable Garden (2016)
- NC State Extension: Extension Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16: Vegetable Gardening
- WSU Extension: Pacific Northwest Gardener's Handbook, Chapter 7: Vegetable Gardening
- Iowa State: Fall Planting of Vegetables
- Iowa State: Early Spring Planting of Vegetables
- Iowa State: Germination Requirements for Annuals and Vegetables
- Iowa State: Growing Leafy Greens in Iowa
- Montana State University Extension: Can I Grow That Here? Vegetable Seed and Transplant Schedules (MontGuide MT199308AG, rev. 2018)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Small-Scale Gardening (square-foot planting guide)
- UC Master Gardener Program, UC ANR: Companion Planting Chart: Companion Planting for Edible Crops
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, Kenosha County: Companion Plants for the Vegetable Garden (column, 2012)
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Companion Planting (Food Hero, 2021)
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Herbs and Flowers in the Vegetable Garden
- Utah State University Extension, Utah 4-H: Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens: Companion Planting (2025)
- Penn State Extension: Herbs Make Good Plant Partners and Companions
- SDSU Extension: Square-Foot Garden Sample Planting Layout (P-00379, 2026)
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County: The Art of Companion Planting (Master Gardener presentation, 2023)
- WSU Extension Skagit County Master Gardeners: Trap Cropping (2020)