KALE AND FLOWER KALE: ORNAMENTAL FOOD PLANTS

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You can plant your own leafy greens, using seeds or starts, as soon as the ground can be worked. Either way, choose a sunny spot for them and water the patch well. Sow the curly-leaved types thinly in a seedbed and then transplant the little shoots when the danger of frost is past, setting them 18 inches apart. You'll find that plainleaved varieties do best if they are not transplanted, and such seeds should be sown directly in the ground in early spring.

PEST CONTROL

Even though kale is extremely hardy and has a built-in resistance to clubroot—one of the cabbage clan's most unpleasant ailments — the leafy vegetable can be overrun with pests. Cabbageworms and aphids are its two most common attackers. Fortunately, the cab worms' holes will be fairly inconspicuous in the frilly rosettes of dwarf kale. So if you grow the plants strictly for ornamental use, it's best to keep in mind that the curly leaves will show damage less than plain ones.

But what about the gardener who — because he or she is concerned with food value as well as beauty — wants to keep plant damage a minimum? Well, there are a few steps such a grower can take to prevent a heavy infestation.

First of all, try to raise your own plants from seed, or at least buy them from a local farm or nursery. If you do so, you can be reasonably sure your seedlings won't be infected before you plant them. Then see that your kale patch is rich in humus and properly drained. A healthy plant will have the best chance of defeating pests and diseases. Furthermore, you can protect your seedlings from birds by covering the patch with a fine nylon netting or mesh. This won't harm our feathered friends, but it will keep them away from the new greenery. Finally, practice yearly crop rotation to help insure that a pest or disease doesn't return more often than once in several years. [EDITOR'S NOTE. Bacillus thuringiensis is, of course, effective against cabbageworms.]

LET THEM STRUT THEIR STUFF

Dwarf kale plants look great when used to line a path or provide a border for a flowerbed. If you plan to harvest winter greens, planting your kale alongside a path makes picking an easy job in bad weather. You might also want to experiment with growing kale near other frilly or fine-textured foliage. The dense heads will easily hold their own against big, bold plants. They combine nicely with almost any shade of green, and will complement the colors of your favorite flowers, as well.

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