I've been trying some new stuff in my garden and I want to share some of the results with you. I am in Northeast Ohio, even locally your microclimate and mileage may vary. Experiment for yourself!

I tried growing kale for the first time this past summer. Kale shows up a good deal in when I give health readings, seems like a lot of people need the nutrition it provides, so I have been trying to add it to my diet. The stuff from the grocery is ok, but I wanted to see what the homegrown would be like.

I ordered the Territorial Seed Wild Garden Kale seed mixture which contains a variety of cold hardy Siberian Kales. They sprouted quickly and grew quite nicely. They survived the summer’s drought, had very few insect problems (unlike the Swiss Chard which looked like lace all summer long) and have survived through mid December.

I was sure it had frozen and died a few weeks ago, the leaves were covered in ice and snow. A week later the temperature was in the 40s again and I realized the kale was alive and kicking. Even under the snow and ice it still lives and when the weather warms for a day or two I can run out and harvest a few handfuls. Post freeze kale is so sweet and mild, cooking up softer and less leathery than summer kale.

I call Siberian mixed kale a success and I plan to grow it again next year.