VegetableKale
Dwarf Vates Blue Scotch Curled Kale
Dwarf Vates Blue Scotch Curled Kale is the gold standard of curled kales, a cold-hardy heirloom that thrives where other greens falter. This compact variety reaches just 12-18 inches tall, making it manageable in small spaces, and delivers harvest-ready leaves in 50-59 days. Its deeply crimped blue-green foliage is as beautiful as it is nutritious, and it's tough enough to withstand snow and hard frosts across zones 5-12. For gardeners who want a reliable, no-fuss kale that only improves after a chill, this is the variety generations have trusted.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
5-12
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam With Consistent Moisture
Growth Stats
18 in
Height
TypeUpright
Spacing
18
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
5-12
Size
18in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
Moderate
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Highlights
Dwarf Vates Blue Scotch earned its reputation by thriving in the exact conditions where summer-loving plants quit: cool springs, partial shade, and freezing temperatures that actually sweeten its flavor. The deeply curled, blue-toned leaves are both ornamental and productive, and this variety's compact size means you can grow a substantial crop in a modest footprint. It's an organic heirloom non-GMO seed, carrying decades of gardening history in every packet.
Common Uses
Dwarf Vates is grown for its tender, curled leaves, which are harvested fresh for salads when young and tender, or cooked into soups, braises, and warming dishes when mature. The deeply crimped foliage crisps beautifully when roasted for kale chips, and the entire leaf is edible and nutritious. Gardeners often harvest outer leaves continuously throughout the season while leaving the center to produce fresh growth.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before your spring transplant date, sowing at a shallow depth and keeping soil moist at 65-75°F. Transplant seedlings outdoors once they develop 2-3 true leaves, spacing 18 inches apart.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings outdoors in early spring or mid-to-late summer for fall/winter harvest, spacing plants 18 inches apart in rows 24 inches apart. Harden off seedlings gradually over 7-10 days before moving them to the garden.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds in early spring or summer for fall harvest, thinning seedlings to 18-inch spacing once they develop true leaves.
Harvesting
Begin harvesting outer leaves once they reach full size, typically 50-59 days after planting. Snap or cut individual leaves from the base of the plant, working from the outside in, which encourages the center to continue producing. You can also harvest the entire plant by cutting it at soil level. Dwarf Vates becomes sweeter and more tender after hard frost, so fall and winter harvests often yield the best-flavored leaves.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Brassica oleracea var. acephalla
Family
Brassicaceae
Genus
Brassica
Growth Habit
Upright
Native Status
L48 (I)PR (I)CAN (W)GL (W)
History & Origin
“Vates Blue Scotch Curled Kale carries the name of its Scottish heritage, bred and refined to excel in the cool, damp climates where kale has always been a staple. This heirloom variety has been saved and replanted by gardeners for generations, becoming the premier choice for cold-climate cultivation. Its tenacious nature, ability to withstand freezing conditions, and reliable performance made it a favorite in seed catalogs throughout the 20th century, and it remains largely unchanged today because it simply works.”