lemon balm
potato
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tomato
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Bonnie Little Bing Compact Cherry Tomato
I'm so very, very behind on my gardening. I was travelling heaps and had lots of other commitments through October/November, which is peak spring planting time here, and nothing got done. I've come to the realisation that if I'm going to do work that involves that sort of travel, I …
Last edited on October 09, 2019. View history
Cavalo Nero
Also known as
borecole (en)
A variety of kale
How to sow cavalo nero: Direct seed. If planting indoors, harden off before transplanting seedlings outside.
Sun requirement for cavalo nero: Plant in Full Sun
Kale is a cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea. It has green or purple leaves that branch off from one to multiple upright stems and do not form a head like cabbage. The plant is usually grown as an annual, but if grown as a perennial, it will form seeds in the second year. Current popular varieties include Curly kale, Italian kale, and Red Russian kale (green leaves with pale purple stems). It can be grown as baby salad greens or for bunching adult leaves. Leaves are sweeter after a frost and delicious eaten raw, added to salads, sautéed, or added to stews and casseroles.
- 2
- plantings
- 0
- harvests
- 2
- seed packets
Cavalo nero facts
Lifespan
Annual
living and reproducing in a single year or less
Optimal temperature
15–22 °C
Absolute temperature
7–30 °C
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal rainfall
450–1000 mm/year
Absolute rainfall
300–2800 mm/year
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal soil pH
5.4–6
Absolute soil pH
4.5–8.3
FAO EcoCrop
Crop cycle
60–85 days
FAO EcoCrop
Max altitude
3000 m
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal light
clear skies
FAO EcoCrop
What are growing degree days?
A plant grows with warmth, not with days. A growing degree day is one day's worth of useful warmth: how many degrees the day's average temperature is above the lowest temperature the crop grows at. Add them up from planting and you know how far along the crop is, whatever the calendar says.
Say that lowest temperature is 10°C. A day averaging 17°C gives 7 growing degree days. A day averaging 8°C gives none, as it is too cold for the crop to grow. That is why the same lettuce takes about 50 days in a summer and 90 in an autumn: it needs the same total warmth either way.
For cavalo nero, the FAO EcoCrop database gives a lowest growing temperature of 7°C and a shortest growing cycle of 60 days at its best temperature, about 690 growing degree days to a first harvest.
Where you've told us where your garden is, we use this and the weather there to predict when your cavalo nero will be ready to harvest. We don't use it for how long a plant lives or when it finishes: we go by what members have logged for that.
How members grow cavalo nero
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Where cavalo nero grow
Only plantings by members who have set their locations are shown.
What people are saying about cavalo nero
sunflowers
arugula
eggplants
zucchini
squash
Who's planted cavalo nero
- Skud Thornbury mini-greenhouses · Ballarat, Victoria,...
- Brooke Brooke's Garden · Canberra, ACT, Australia
Cavalo nero harvests
Nobody has harvested this crop yet.
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Time to harvest
If sown now, expect a first harvest in about 60 to 85 days.
From the growing cycle in the FAO EcoCrop database, which is the same wherever it is grown.
Ecological requirements
Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Brassica oleracea var. acephala L. [DC.]
| Family / Taxonomy | Magnoliopsida Dilleniidae Capparales Cruciferae |
|---|---|
| Killing temperature | growth: 0 °C, rest: -5 °C |
| Life form | herb |
| Life span | biennial, perennial |
| Habit | erect |
| Optimal soil depth | shallow (20-50 cm) |
| Optimal soil texture | heavy, medium, light, organic |
| Optimal soil fertility | high |
| Optimal soil drainage | well (dry spells) |
| Optimal soil salinity | low (<4 dS/m) |
| Photoperiod | short day (<12 hours), neutral day (12-14 hours), long day (>14 hours) |
Learn more about cavalo nero
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