馃ガ Kale 路 January
Whether January works depends on which corner of the country you鈥檙e standing in. Here鈥檚 the per-city read, sowing, transplanting and harvesting, plus the spacing, the timing and the family-of-four maths.
Days to harvest
55-70 days to first harvest; ongoing
Spacing
45 cm
Cities sowing in January
0
,
Family of 4
4-6 plants provides generous ongoing harvests for a family of 4 through the cool season
January in summer is one of twelve windows the Australian year offers, and whether you can plant kale this month depends on which corner of the country you're standing in. Below is the per-city read: where kale is being sown from seed, where it's going in as seedlings, and where it's already being harvested.
No major Australian city is sowing kale from seed in January. No major Australian city is transplanting kale seedlings in January. Nowhere in Australia is in the active kale harvest in January.
Across Australia's climate zones, kale keeps to tropical, april-august (cool season only); subtropical, march-august; temperate, february-may, july-september; cool, august-october, february-april; arid, march-august. January sits inside that window for none of the five climate zones, on the broad rules. The longer version, including the climate-zone-by-zone breakdown, lives on the Kale growing guide.
Kale is a cool-season brassica that is more cold-hardy than most other brassicas, making it particularly valuable in Australian gardens during the cooler months. In temperate and cool climates, a well-established kale plant can produce fresh leaves through the entire winter and into spring.
If you're planting kale this January, the bed prep is the same as any other month: a 30 cm-deep raised bed worked through with compost, spacing of 45 cm between plants, and full sun to partial shade. The crop takes 55-70 days to first harvest; ongoing, which means a January planting will be ready around March. Use the raised bed calculator to size the bed and the companion planting guide to fill it out.
For a household of four, 4-6 plants provides generous ongoing harvests for a family of 4 through the cool season Expected yield is Ongoing, 300g-500g per harvest event; plants can last 12+ months.
The January kale read changes city by city. The list above is the high-level signal; for the exact dates and bed-by-bed planting plan, the Plant Planner kale module reads your postcode and your bed dimensions and does the rest of the maths.
Whether January works for kale depends on your climate zone. The planting windows are: tropical, april-august (cool season only); subtropical, march-august; temperate, february-may, july-september; cool, august-october, february-april; arid, march-august. In January specifically, the broad rules suggest it's a planting month in none of the five climate zones, on the broad rules.
Kale takes 55-70 days to first harvest; ongoing. A January planting will be ready around March. Always harvest outer, lower leaves first. Leaves are best when 20-30cm long and deep green. After frost exposure, kale sweetens noticeably, this is an indication that the flavour has improved. Smaller, younger leaves are more tender for salads; larger leaves are better steamed, braised, or used in soups and pesto.
4-6 plants provides generous ongoing harvests for a family of 4 through the cool season Yield expectation: Ongoing, 300g-500g per harvest event; plants can last 12+ months.
Full sun to partial shade. Moderate, consistent moisture; tolerates short dry spells. Soil pH 6.0-7.5. Spacing 45 cm between plants, 60 cm between rows.
The planner reads your postcode and your bed, picks the right window, and emails the reminders the weekend before each task.
Start free for two bedsNo card needed.