Scottish growing tool

Kale Variety Selector: Which One For Your Garden

Every recommendation below traces back to our full Kale varieties comparison — this page is the fast route to one answer for your specific situation, no clicking through required.

If: Exposed or windy plot, or growing in containers or Sheltered garden with more space, want height and drama → Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice or Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice

StarborAGM

Starbor's compact 40cm x 45cm habit shrugs off wind that would flatten taller varieties, and it needs no staking. Its susceptibility list is the shortest of the four AGM varieties, no fungal diseases listed at all, and it's the only one of the four named as suited to container growing. That combination makes it the lowest-maintenance option for a typical Scottish garden that isn't fully walled or hedge-sheltered.

If: Sheltered garden with more space, want height and drama → Tall and dramatic, I've got the shelter for it

RedborAGM

Redbor reaches 0.5 to 1m with dark red-purple curled leaves, a taller, more dramatic crop, but it needs a sheltered position, the only variety here with that requirement. It makes sense once that shelter is met: a walled garden, or a spot behind a hedge or fence line.

If: Sheltered garden with more space, want height and drama → Small space, tidy curly-leaf plant

YurokAGM

Yurok gives short, uniform rosettes suited to small spaces, with a September-to-February harvest window. It shares the H5 hardiness rating with the other three AGM varieties, so the real reason to pick it over Starbor is habit and harvest timing, not toughness.

If: Want the longest possible harvest window

ReflexAGM

Reflex is pickable from October through February as either baby leaf or mature leaves, the longest stated harvest window of the four AGM varieties. It reaches the same 0.5 to 1m height as Redbor but carries no shelter requirement on its own page, so it suits moderate exposure without needing a walled or hedge-sheltered spot.

If: Cooking traditional Tuscan or Italian dishes

Nero di Toscana (cavolo nero)

Nero di Toscana is rated H4, hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5C), a genuine step down from the AGM four's H5 rating (down to -15C), and it doesn't carry the AGM at all. Choose it for its flat, dark leaves and flavour, the standard choice for traditional Tuscan or Italian dishes, not for winter toughness.

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Kale growing guide →Full Kale varieties comparison →