PERENNIAL KALE: AN OLD STAPLE FOR TODAY'S GARDENER

Rob Smith explores the heritage of perennial kales once found in many cottage gardens - and explains why these resilient, long-lived brassicas still deserve a place in 2026's productive plots

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Perennial kales were once common in cottage gardens, prized because they fed families through the hungry gap – that lean spell from late winter into spring when annual greens run out. Gardeners passed plants from hand to hand as cuttings, not seed, because many perennial kales rarely flower, and even if they do, seed isn't usually viable. Daubenton's kale, long grown in France as Chou Daubenton, is the classic example. It is near-sterile in most gardens, so you keep it going by rooting side shoots. That habit, plus reliable year-round picking, is why it endured in kitchen plots for generations. In the West Country, Taunton Deane kale filled the same role. Local histories and grower notes describe it as a vigorous, long-lived form that would be shared between neighbours and lifted as cuttings when families moved house. It was known as cottager’s kale, hinting at its roots in everyday gardens before Victorian tastes shifted to neat rows of annual brassicas. However, modern growers still rate it for tenderness and winter productivity.

Perennial kale suited older gardening styles because it asked for little and gave a lot. Plants stand through bad weather, offer fresh leaves most of the year, and bounce back after picking. They slot into mixed plots, forest gardens, and back corners where you want dependable greens without yearly sowing. In fact, they even look good in a flower border! That is why they are resurgent today, as more gardeners value low-input food plants that cover the hungry gap and reduce annual hassle.

VARIETIES THAT ARE SO STRAIGHTFORWARD AND EASY TO PROPAGATE

• Take cuttings from leafy side shoots. Choose firm, nonflowering shoots with knobbly ridges, 8 to 12cm long. A heel helps. Strip most of the leaves, leaving a small tuft at the tip.