Ragged Jack Kale is a frost-tolerant Russian heirloom that brings personality and practicality to cold-season gardens. This vigorous cultivar reaches 18 to 36 inches tall and produces tender, deeply frilled leaves ready to harvest in just 50 days. Its name captures its charmingly unkempt appearance, but don't let the ragged foliage fool you: this is a robust, flavorful green that thrives in moderate moisture and full sun, and it'll happily overwinter with minimal protection to deliver a spring flush of fresh greens.
Full Sun
Moderate
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36in H x 18in W
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Low
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The leaves are tender and deeply textured, perfect for both raw salads and hearty cooked preparations. Ragged Jack carries the traveling spirit of Russian peasant gardens, arriving as a weary world traveler with stories of wilted kale salads, sautéed greens, and potato-kale soups woven into its lineage. Its true gift emerges in spring when, after overwintering, it rewards patient gardeners with a delicious flourish of fresh growth and edible flower buds.
Ragged Jack excels in both raw and cooked applications. The tender leaves are excellent in wilted kale salads, sautéed as a simple side dish with garlic and olive oil, and simmered into hearty soups and stews, particularly alongside potatoes where its earthy character shines. The spring flower buds that emerge after overwintering are also edible and prized for their delicate flavor, adding a bonus harvest to the growing season.
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Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost or 10 to 12 weeks before your first fall frost, maintaining soil temperatures between 50 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Transplant seedlings when they have true leaves and have been hardened off over 7 to 10 days of gradually increased outdoor exposure.
Transplant hardened seedlings into the garden when soil temperatures reach at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Space plants 18 inches apart in rows spaced 18 inches apart. For spring planting, time transplanting after the danger of hard frosts has passed. For fall planting, transplant early enough (typically 12 to 14 weeks before the first frost) so plants establish strong root systems before winter dormancy.
Direct sow seeds in spring after soil is workable or in mid to late summer for fall and winter harvest. Sow seeds directly in garden soil and keep moist until germination occurs, which typically takes 7 to 10 days at optimal temperatures.
Harvest Ragged Jack beginning at 50 days from sowing or when leaves reach desired size and tenderness. Pick outer leaves first, allowing the inner rosette to continue growing, or harvest the entire plant when it reaches full size. Leaves are most tender when young; flavor remains pleasant even as they mature. For spring overwinter harvests, clip new growth and emerging flower buds as they appear in early spring, before the plant bolts.
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“Ragged Jack Kale arrives from Russian agricultural traditions, carrying the heritage of a traveling peasant's garden across continents. Named for its characteristically unkempt, fringed foliage, this cultivar embodies the practical wisdom of Russian growers who selected for both cold hardiness and culinary versatility. The variety has journeyed from Eastern European tables to North American seed catalogs, maintaining its robust constitution and tender leaf quality through generations of gardeners who appreciated its ability to overwinter and return each spring with renewed vigor.”