In message , David Hare-Scott
writes

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...
"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...
My curly kale has done great service for over two years, this is its third
spring. Now it is going to seed which it hasn't done before. Most
brassicas go to seed in their first year. Why is kale different? Why
now?

My seed savers books say that curly case is biennial. Perhaps yours is
confused?



Some references speak of a biennial kale and a perennial one. The seed packet
I have doesn't say which. It looks like it was the biennial one and time is
up. Even so I am quite pleased with it. It has provided for us winter and
summer with very litle attention.

David


I'm sure some kales are "really" perennial, though (except for sea kale)
usually grown as biennials. Cavolo nero, for example - I dug up a plant
yesterday which was sown in 2006, flowered this spring, was still
growing vigorously this autumn and no doubt would have flowered again
next year if left to its own devices. So maybe your kale still has a
future? On the other hand, the conventional wisdom might be that
growing brassicas in the same place for several years risks encouraging
clubroot and/or other problems.
--
Max Wright