Dwarf Blue Curled Vates Kale

Brassica oleracea (Acephala Group) 'Vates'

vegetable

Dwarf Blue Curled Vates is the standard curly kale of American gardens - compact plants 12 to 16 in. tall packed with tightly ruffled, blue-green leaves. The Vates strain was selected for cold-hardiness, slow bolting, and a low, non-trailing habit that holds up to wind and snow, so it stands in the garden well into winter and is the classic kale for braising, chips, and soups. The curled leaves hold dressing and crisp up beautifully roasted.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Beets — Share a bed neatly with leafy kale and draw different nutrients
• Onions — Pungent scent helps confuse the cabbage pests that hunt brassicas
• Dill — Attracts parasitic wasps and ladybugs that hunt aphids and caterpillars
• Nasturtium — Trap crop that lures aphids and flea beetles away from the kale

❌ Keep away from

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Cabbage worms →

  Floating row cover from transplant, handpicking, and Bt for heavy infestations

• Cabbage loopers →

  Exclude the moths with row cover; Bt handles larvae

• Aphids →

  Blast colonies off the curled leaves with water and plant dill or alyssum for predators; the ruffled leaves can hide aphids, so scout closely

• Flea beetles →

  Row cover young plants against shothole feeding

• Harlequin bugs →

  Handpick adults and egg clusters and clean up brassica debris in fall

🌾 Harvest & storage

Begin harvesting Vates at about 55 days, or earlier for baby leaves. Pick the outer leaves from the bottom up, leaving the central rosette to keep generating new growth for months. The tightly curled leaves trap grit, so wash well. Flavor sweetens markedly after frost, and in many zones the compact plants keep producing through winter under a little mulch or row cover.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Curly kale is a vitamin powerhouse - a 100 g serving provides many times the daily value of vitamin K, abundant vitamin A as beta-carotene, around 90 to 120 mg of vitamin C, plus lutein and zeaxanthin for eye health and a useful dose of calcium and fiber, all at very few calories. Cooking concentrates the minerals while softening the sturdy curled leaves.