How to Grow and Harvest Red Russian Kale

If you’re looking for a sweet and tender variety of kale for your garden, look no further than ‘Red Russian.’

This heirloom variety has large leaves that are softer than other varieties, making it a welcome change from fall greens that require lots of cooking.

This variety also has a unique appearance with its frilly green leaves and purple-red stems. In fact, some people even cultivate it just for ornamental purposes, adding rich color to their fall gardens.

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This cultivar is grown in a similar way to other varieties of kale, but I’ll provide the details for growing ‘Red Russian’ below.

This particular cultivar of Brassica oleracea var. viridis is also known as ragged jack and sweet red. Flatter than other cultivars and with jagged edges, its leaves are also the most tender and mild of all varieties.

Due to its tenderness, ‘Red Russian’ is often grown for baby greens. These small leaves make great additions to salads.

The bright purple stems differentiate this variety from ‘White Russian’. This purple color indicates the presence of compounds called anthocyanins.

According to a 2017 study in the Food and Nutrition Research Journal, anthocyanins provide a number of health benefits including antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.

This cultivar has similar requirements to other types of kale. It should be planted in full sun and provided with about half an inch of water a week.

However, as with all crops, water more in hotter weather and less in cooler weather.

‘Red Russian’ is cold