How to Grow Sweet and Tender Red Russian Kale

Brassica napus subsp. pabularia ‘Red Russian’

‘Red Russian’ is a sweet and tender kale cultivar with exceptional cold-tolerance.

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

The plant also has a unique appearance with its frilly green leaves and purple-red stems.

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In fact, some gardeners cultivate it just for ornamental purposes, adding rich color to their cool-weather gardens.

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

Here’s what I’ll cover:

This particular cultivar of Brassica napus subsp. pabularia is also known as ragged jack and sweet red.

You may also see it classified as a cultivar of B. oleracea var. acephala which is considered a synonym.

With flat leaves that have jagged edges, this cultivar is one of the most tender and mild of the different types of kale.

As it is so tender, ‘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,’ another variety that’s extremely cold hardy.

The 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.

How to Sow

Like all types of kale, ‘Red Russian’ enjoys cool temperatures and is prone to bolt in excessive heat. So it’s best grown in the spring and again in the fall.

If you are starting seeds indoors to transplant, choose a sowing date based on your USDA Hardiness Zone:

• For Zones 2 to 5, sow seeds in April and again in late July.
• If your Zone is 6 to 8, sow seeds in March and again in early-mid August.
• If you are in Zone 9 or above, sow seeds in February and again in September.

The seedlings will be ready to plant out into your garden after three to four weeks. At this point, plant the transplants a foot apart.

If you plan to grow ‘Red Russian’ kale in containers, select a pot at least a foot in diameter and 10 inches deep. Follow the seeding and transplanting dates recommended above.

If there is still danger of frost in the forecast, protect your transplants with floating row covers.

If you are direct-seeding, sow seeds in your garden after the last frost date in spring. You can continue sowing seeds until daytime temperatures are above 80ºF.

You can sow seeds once again in August through September. The latest you should sow seeds outdoors is two weeks before your predicted first frost date.