When to Plant Kale in Perth, Mediterranean Guide

Sow January to June and August to October. Right now in October you can sow.

Planting window
Sow from January to June, with a second spring sowing in August and September. An excellent cool-season crop for Perth and Adelaide.
Days to harvest
55 days
Sunlight
Full sun in cool climates. Part shade (afternoon) in subtropical and warmer zones.
Water needs
Deep watering 2-3 times per week. Consistent moisture produces tender leaves. Tolerates...
Spacing
50cm apart, 60cm between rows
Soil pH
5.5-6.8

Published · Last reviewed · By GardenBuddy.au
Growing advice is reviewed by hand. Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.

This Kale guide is written for the Mediterranean zone, which takes in Perth, Adelaide and Bunbury. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.

Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs

Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.

Kale

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Kale is the toughest and most productive leafy green brassica, available in curly, flat (Tuscan/cavolo nero), and red Russian forms. It tolerates frost (which sweetens its flavour), handles some heat, and produces for 6-12 months with regular harvesting. A nutritional powerhouse and genuinely easy to grow compared to heading brassicas.

See what grows now in your own postcode

Planting Calendar for Mediterranean

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
S/T/D S/T/D S/T/D S/T/D S/T/D S/T/D - S/D S/T/D T - -

S = Seed Tray   T = Transplant   D = Direct Sow

Want a nudge when it is Kale sowing time in Perth?

One email a week with what is worth planting in the Mediterranean zone right now, Kale included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.

Current Growing Conditions

Soil temperature: 16.9°C (optimal range: 5–30°C) ✓ Ready to plant

Modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Perth), not a live sensor.

What this month normally looks like

In October the Mediterranean zone normally runs 22°C by day and 10°C overnight, with about 38 mm of rain over 6 or 7 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was -0.2°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 19 postcodes, SILO.

How to Grow Kale in Mediterranean Australia

When to Plant

Sow from January to June, with a second spring sowing in August and September. An excellent cool-season crop for Perth and Adelaide.

Soil
Rich, well-drained soil with plenty of compost and aged manure. Tolerates a wider range of soils than heading brassicas.
pH Range
5.5-6.8
Sunlight
Full sun in cool climates. Part shade (afternoon) in subtropical and warmer zones.
Spacing
50cm apart, 60cm between rows
Watering
Deep watering 2-3 times per week. Consistent moisture produces tender leaves. Tolerates some drought but leaves toughen. Avoid overhead watering.

Companion plants: Onion, Garlic, Celery, Beetroot, Dill, Chamomile

Avoid planting near: Strawberry, Tomato, Other brassicas in immediate succession

Grow before, grow after

Kale belongs with the brassicas, the leafy greens and brassicas turn of a four turn bed rotation.

Grow before it
Legumes (Beans - Dwarf, Peas, Broad Beans)
Grow after it
Fruiting crops (Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini)

Give the bed 3 turns before brassicas go back in. The cabbage family is hungry for nitrogen and shares club root and other soil diseases.

Mediterranean Growing Tips for Kale

Recommended Varieties

  • Nero di Toscana
  • Curly Blue Scotch
  • Red Russian
  • Winterbor

Key Challenges

  • Summer heat too intense for quality production
  • Cabbage white butterfly active spring-autumn

Pro Tips

  • Kale thrives in the Mediterranean cool-wet season
  • Autumn planting exploits winter rainfall for minimal irrigation
  • Plants can produce through the entire cool season (April-October)

Harvesting Kale

When ready: Leaves are large enough to eat (15-20cm long for baby kale, 30cm+ for mature leaves). Dark green with firm texture. Lower leaves harvested first.

How to harvest: Snap or cut lower/outer leaves at the stem. Leave the growing tip and upper leaves to continue producing. Never harvest more than 1/3 of the plant at once. Twist and pull downward for clean removal.

Preserving: pressure canning

1 tested pressure-canning recipe for Kale: 1 where it is the crop being canned. Each one comes from published home canning guidelines. The conversion to Australian units is ours, with psi beside every kPa. Always follow your pressure canner's manual.

Recipes in this set

  • Spinach and other greens

The full recipe details are for members on a paid plan: jar sizes, headspace, process time, the pressure for a weighted or dial gauge at your altitude, the ingredients, the preparation steps and the safety notes.

See the plans

Common Kale Pests in Mediterranean Zones

Aphids and Caterpillars, risk: MODERATE (score: 42/100)

In the pest library for kale:

Cabbage White Butterfly, high severity Diamondback Moth / Cabbage Moth, high severity Powdery Mildew, high severity Possums (Common Brushtail, Ringtail), high severity Aphids (Green Peach, Cabbage, Cotton), moderate severity Kangaroos and Wallabies, moderate severity

View all pest alerts →

Where to next

What kale costs in the shops right now, retailer by retailer, updated daily.

Also worth sowing in the mediterranean zone this October: Lemongrass, Radish, Zucchini and Beetroot.

The pest most likely to find your kale: Cabbage White Butterfly.

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Common Questions About Kale

When do you plant kale in Australia?

It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:

Does kale grow all year round in Perth?

No. In the Mediterranean zone the planting months are Jan to Jun, Aug to Oct. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.

Which zone am I in?

Type your postcode into the box under the heading and the page tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Mediterranean zone, Perth is its reference city.