- Seeds of the MM Garden
- Planty Sowing Calendar
- Are our seeds organic?
- What does F1 mean on the seeds of Planty Gardening?
- African marigold - sowing and growing
- Asian salad mix - sowing and growing
- Endive - sowing and growing
- Dino kale - sowing and growing
- Bush tomato
- Bush basil - sowing and growing
- Beet - sowing and growing
- Bush basil - sowing and growing
- Chioggia beet - sowing and growing
- Cos lettuce - sowing and growing
- Butter beans - sowing and growing
- Climbing zucchini - sowing and growing
- Liquorice mint - sowing and growing
- Yellomato - sowing and growing
- Marigold - sowing and growing
- Cucumber - sowing and growing
- Cilantro - sowing and growing
- Bibb lettuce - sowing and growing
- NZ spinach - sowing and growing
- Indian cress - sowing and growing
- Bok choi - sowing and growing
- Dino kale - sowing and growing
- Snow pea - sowing and growing
- Lettuce - sowing and growing
- Lettuce - sowing and growing
- Baby pumpkin - sowing and growing
- Radish - sowing and growing
- Arugola - sowing and growing
- Chard - sowing and growing
- Romano pole bean - sowing and growing
- Bacon bean - sowing and growing
- Spinach
- Bush bean - sowing and growing
- Stem lettuce - sowing and growing
- Sugar snap - sowing and growing
- Lamb's lettuce - sowing and growing
- Winter pea - sowing and growing
- Winter purslane - sowing and growing
- Winter lettuce - sowing and growing
- Carrot - sowing and growing
- Purple carrot - sowing and growing
- Sunflower - sowing and growing
Almost all information about plants has been included with the plants in our free app. So, you don't need to remember it.
View the MM app
- Seeds of the MM Garden
- Planty Sowing Calendar
- Are our seeds organic?
- What does F1 mean on the seeds of Planty Gardening?
- African marigold - sowing and growing
- Asian salad mix - sowing and growing
- Endive - sowing and growing
- Dino kale - sowing and growing
- Bush tomato
- Bush basil - sowing and growing
- Beet - sowing and growing
- Bush basil - sowing and growing
- Chioggia beet - sowing and growing
- Cos lettuce - sowing and growing
- Butter beans - sowing and growing
- Climbing zucchini - sowing and growing
- Liquorice mint - sowing and growing
- Yellomato - sowing and growing
- Marigold - sowing and growing
- Cucumber - sowing and growing
- Cilantro - sowing and growing
- Bibb lettuce - sowing and growing
- NZ spinach - sowing and growing
- Indian cress - sowing and growing
- Bok choi - sowing and growing
- Dino kale - sowing and growing
- Snow pea - sowing and growing
- Lettuce - sowing and growing
- Lettuce - sowing and growing
- Baby pumpkin - sowing and growing
- Radish - sowing and growing
- Arugola - sowing and growing
- Chard - sowing and growing
- Romano pole bean - sowing and growing
- Bacon bean - sowing and growing
- Spinach
- Bush bean - sowing and growing
- Stem lettuce - sowing and growing
- Sugar snap - sowing and growing
- Lamb's lettuce - sowing and growing
- Winter pea - sowing and growing
- Winter purslane - sowing and growing
- Winter lettuce - sowing and growing
- Carrot - sowing and growing
- Purple carrot - sowing and growing
- Sunflower - sowing and growing
How to sow and grow dino kale
Dino kale - also known as cavolo nero or Tuscan kale - is super tasty, healthy, and beautiful. It grows tall like a palm tree, so it doesn't need as much space as other kale varieties.
What is dino kale?
Dino kale is a leafy vegetable with a milder taste than other kales. The plants are biennials and are usually grown as a winter vegetable. But they do well in spring and summer too.
Maybe it's the blue-green textured leaves that give it its nickname. Or maybe it's because they look super prehistoric. But the most fun thing about dino kale is that you harvest the leaves from the bottom to the top. So it ends up looking like a palm tree.
Dino kale comes from Tuscany and is popular in Italy, especially in soups. It's called cavolo nero (black cabbage) because of the dark leaves.
When the winter's over, dino kale bursts into bloom: an early bee and butterfly magnet.
Maybe it's the blue-green textured leaves that give it its nickname. Or maybe it's because they look super prehistoric. But the most fun thing about dino kale is that you harvest the leaves from the bottom to the top. So it ends up looking like a palm tree.
Dino kale comes from Tuscany and is popular in Italy, especially in soups. It's called cavolo nero (black cabbage) because of the dark leaves.
When the winter's over, dino kale bursts into bloom: an early bee and butterfly magnet.
Vitamins and minerals in dino kale
Dino kale is super healthy. It contains lots of calcium - much more than milk - for strong bones and healthy teeth. Of all kale types, dino kale contains the most vitamin C: that's 1.5x as much as an orange.
More dino kale vitamins and minerals are vitamins A and K, iron, copper, phosphorus, folic acid, and potassium.
Its healthy antioxidants and loads of beta-carotene are anti-inflammatory, which helps fight cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.
More dino kale vitamins and minerals are vitamins A and K, iron, copper, phosphorus, folic acid, and potassium.
Its healthy antioxidants and loads of beta-carotene are anti-inflammatory, which helps fight cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.
More about our dino kale seeds
Growing dino kale is super simple: sow, grow, and harvest. One plant fits in 1 square vegetable patch. Dino kale can handle cold weather and grows best in cooler temperatures: heat makes the leaves a little bitter.
Protect the plants from snails, caterpillars, and butterflies. They love it. But because dino kale plants are extremely resilient, they even survive insect attacks.
- Species name: Nero di Toscane
- Family: cruciferous
- Number of plants per square patch: 1
- Height: up to 80 cm
- Sowing time: April to mid-July and September to mid-October
- Sowing depth: 0.5 cm
- Germination: 7 to 23°C in 5 - 12 days
- Time to harvest: after 6 weeks
- Sunlight: can grow in sun or shade
We sell dino kale seed bags separately in the shop, or you can also buy them as part of a seed pack:
What do you need to grow dino kale yourself?
You only need a few things to grow dino kale:
- a 30x30 cm patch with airy, nutrient-rich soil mix
- dino kale seeds
- a place with at least 4 hours of sunlight a day
In other words: an MM-Mini, or a square patch in 1 of our garden boxes, filled with MM-Mix.
Growing your own dino kale is super easy with the MM-Mix. If you grow in low-quality (potting) soil, disappointment is pretty much guaranteed. So don't skimp on soil mix: go for the best.
Growing your own dino kale is super easy with the MM-Mix. If you grow in low-quality (potting) soil, disappointment is pretty much guaranteed. So don't skimp on soil mix: go for the best.
How do you sow and grow dino kale?
Dino kale is included in the free Planty Gardening app. Use it, and you'll get step-by-step guidance from seed to harvest.
Each vegetable goes through a number of stages - we call them levels. The app tells you exactly what to do at each level and checks in when your plants are ready for the next one.
So, you don't need to know how to grow dino kale in advance: the app takes you through every step.
But if you'd like to read more about those steps, here's what the process looks like:
Each vegetable goes through a number of stages - we call them levels. The app tells you exactly what to do at each level and checks in when your plants are ready for the next one.
So, you don't need to know how to grow dino kale in advance: the app takes you through every step.
But if you'd like to read more about those steps, here's what the process looks like:
Level 1: Sowing dino kale
Choose a patch in the 2 back rows of your garden box. Make the soil mix loose and moist. Then sow the seeds like this:
- poke 1 hole in the middle of the patch (1 cm deep max)
- put 2 to 3 seeds in the hole
- carefully cover it up with soil mix
Depending on the weather and the time of year, you'll start to see something come up in the next 5 to 12 days.
Level 2 and 3: Dino kale seedlings and thinning
If you see the first seedlings, you know you're on track.
The next level is thinning out. More than 1 seedling may come up in the spot you sowed. Choose the best seedling and remove the rest. It might sound harsh, but it's necessary. The remaining plant will have the room it needs to grow.
The next level is thinning out. More than 1 seedling may come up in the spot you sowed. Choose the best seedling and remove the rest. It might sound harsh, but it's necessary. The remaining plant will have the room it needs to grow.
Level 4: Caring for your dino kale plant
After about 3 weeks your seedling becomes a small plant.
Protect it from snails: they love young dino kale. In butterfly season watch out for the enemy of all kale: the cabbage white. This cute white butterfly lays its eggs on (or under) the leaves. They hatch into hungry caterpillars.
Protect it from snails: they love young dino kale. In butterfly season watch out for the enemy of all kale: the cabbage white. This cute white butterfly lays its eggs on (or under) the leaves. They hatch into hungry caterpillars.
Read more about cabbage whites and caterpillars on this page.
Dino kale is super strong. Even if it looks completely eaten up, it usually makes a comeback.
Just water regularly and remove weeds and yellowed leaves right away.
Dino kale is super strong. Even if it looks completely eaten up, it usually makes a comeback.
Just water regularly and remove weeds and yellowed leaves right away.
Level 5: Harvesting dino kale
About 6 to 8 weeks after sowing, you can start harvesting a few leaves.
How? Cut or break off the bottom leaves. The plant will start to look more and more like a palm tree. As long as you leave the top and center of the plant, new leaves will grow each time.
How? Cut or break off the bottom leaves. The plant will start to look more and more like a palm tree. As long as you leave the top and center of the plant, new leaves will grow each time.
Your plant will grow all the season and get pretty big. So be careful it doesn't take up too much space.
Continue harvesting and regularly cut off some leaves. When the weather is dry, give it some water and remove dry leaves.
Continue harvesting and regularly cut off some leaves. When the weather is dry, give it some water and remove dry leaves.
What do you use dino kale for?
You can eat dino kale leaves just like other kale varieties: toss them in a soup, stew, or stir fry.
Finely chop up young leaves for salads or green smoothies. Dino kale has a powerful flavor, so give it a taste to see how you like it.
Finely chop up young leaves for salads or green smoothies. Dino kale has a powerful flavor, so give it a taste to see how you like it.
Level 6: Keep harvesting all year round
Dino kale is frost-resistant and can keep for a long time. The leaves taste milder when frozen.
They pretty much stop producing new leaves in winter. But you can keep eating the ones that are still there.
They pretty much stop producing new leaves in winter. But you can keep eating the ones that are still there.
A party for you and the bees
In early spring, the dino kale starts to grow again. You can still harvest plenty - until the plant starts to flower. Then it's time to harvest the rest of the leaves and clear out your kale patch.
Or, you can leave the flowering plant for the bees, bumblebees, and butterflies. They'll be grateful for that early pollen.
If you're patient - or lazy 😉 - you can leave it in your garden box until the end of summer and harvest the seeds.
Or, you can leave the flowering plant for the bees, bumblebees, and butterflies. They'll be grateful for that early pollen.
If you're patient - or lazy 😉 - you can leave it in your garden box until the end of summer and harvest the seeds.
So, what's stopping you from growing dino kale?
It's maybe the easiest vegetable to grow yourself, you can enjoy it for a long time, and it tastes great.
Plus: with our materials and app it's almost impossible to fail 😉
Order your dino kale seeds here or get growing with a complete starter kit:
Plus: with our materials and app it's almost impossible to fail 😉
Order your dino kale seeds here or get growing with a complete starter kit:
Enjoy!
About our seeds
- Seeds of the MM Garden
- Planty Sowing Calendar
- Are our seeds organic?
- What does F1 mean on the seeds of Planty Gardening?
- African marigold - sowing and growing
- Asian salad mix - sowing and growing
- Endive - sowing and growing
- Dino kale - sowing and growing
- Bush tomato
- Bush basil - sowing and growing
- Beet - sowing and growing
- Bush basil - sowing and growing
- Chioggia beet - sowing and growing
- Cos lettuce - sowing and growing
- Butter beans - sowing and growing
- Climbing zucchini - sowing and growing
- Liquorice mint - sowing and growing
- Yellomato - sowing and growing
- Marigold - sowing and growing
- Cucumber - sowing and growing
- Cilantro - sowing and growing
- Bibb lettuce - sowing and growing
- NZ spinach - sowing and growing
- Indian cress - sowing and growing
- Bok choi - sowing and growing
- Dino kale - sowing and growing
- Snow pea - sowing and growing
- Lettuce - sowing and growing
- Lettuce - sowing and growing
- Baby pumpkin - sowing and growing
- Radish - sowing and growing
- Arugola - sowing and growing
- Chard - sowing and growing
- Romano pole bean - sowing and growing
- Bacon bean - sowing and growing
- Spinach
- Bush bean - sowing and growing
- Stem lettuce - sowing and growing
- Sugar snap - sowing and growing
- Lamb's lettuce - sowing and growing
- Winter pea - sowing and growing
- Winter purslane - sowing and growing
- Winter lettuce - sowing and growing
- Carrot - sowing and growing
- Purple carrot - sowing and growing
- Sunflower - sowing and growing