Plant Library
Ripbor Kale
Brassica oleracea var. sabellica 'Ripbor'
Height: 24 inches
Spacing: 16 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: (annual)
Description:
The lovely medium blue green variety that boast beautiful tightly curled leaves; harvest in the late summer into the fall; resists yellowing and bolting; leaves have a rich, strong flavor, ideal for soups or stews; great for gardens or large containers
Edible Qualities
Ripbor Kale is an annual vegetable plant that is typically grown for its edible qualities, although it does have ornamental merits as well. The large crinkled oval dark green leaves with hints of bluish-green can be harvested at any time in the season. The leaves have a savory taste.
The leaves are most often used in the following ways:
- Fresh Eating
- Eating When Cooked/Prepared
- Cooking
Planting & Growing
Ripbor Kale will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 16 inches apart. This fast-growing vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop.
This plant is quite ornamental as well as edible, and is as much at home in a landscape or flower garden as it is in a designated vegetable garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.
Ripbor Kale is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
