Kalebration Kale Mix
Brassica spp.
Wikimedia Commons
A brilliant blend of rich greens and reds that shows deep color contrast in all growing slots. Striking the right balance of colors and textures, this mix can be marketed on its own or added to baby leaf lettuce. Strong regrowth allows for cut-and-come-again harvesting. Selected for baby-leaf production. Varieties are subject to change depending upon availability.
Harvest
29d
Days to harvest
Sun
Full sun to part shade
Zones
6–9
USDA hardiness
Height
0 ft. 10 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Kalebration Kale Mix in USDA Zone 7
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Kalebration Kale Mix · Zones 6–9
Growing Details
Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar
| Zone | Indoor Start | Transplant | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | — | — | June – July | June – September |
| Zone 2 | — | — | May – July | June – September |
| Zone 11 | — | — | January – February | January – December |
| Zone 12 | — | — | January – February | January – December |
| Zone 13 | — | — | January – February | January – December |
| Zone 3 | — | — | May – June | May – October |
| Zone 4 | — | — | April – June | May – October |
| Zone 5 | — | — | April – May | May – November |
| Zone 6 | — | — | April – May | April – November |
| Zone 7 | — | — | March – May | April – November |
| Zone 8 | — | — | March – April | March – December |
| Zone 9 | — | — | February – March | February – December |
| Zone 10 | — | — | January – March | February – December |
Succession Planting
In zone 7, direct sow Kalebration Kale every 3 weeks starting around March 1. With a 29-day days-to-harvest window, you can turn beds over quickly and keep a steady supply going through late spring. Stop new sowings once daytime highs are consistently above 85°F — leaf quality drops and bitterness climbs fast in that heat. Pick back up with a fall run starting in late August through mid-September, as temperatures come back down through the 70s.
The fall window is often the better one. Kale that matures into October and November tends to be noticeably sweeter and more tender than anything you pulled in May. A light frost — down to around 26°F — actually improves the flavor as the plant converts starches to sugars, so don't rush to pull plants when nights turn cold.
Complete Growing Guide
A brilliant blend of rich greens and reds that shows deep color contrast in all growing slots. Striking the right balance of colors and textures, this mix can be marketed on its own or added to baby leaf lettuce. Strong regrowth allows for cut-and-come-again harvesting. Selected for baby-leaf production. Varieties are subject to change depending upon availability. According to Johnny's Selected Seeds, Kalebration Kale Mix is 29 days to maturity, annual. Notable features: Easy Choice.
Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day), Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours). Soil: Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand. Soil pH: Acid (<6.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0). Drainage: Good Drainage, Moist. Height: 0 ft. 10 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.. Spread: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.. Spacing: 12 inches-3 feet. Growth rate: Medium. Maintenance: Medium. Propagation: Seed, Stem Cutting. Regions: Coastal, Mountains, Piedmont.
Harvesting
Kalebration Kale Mix reaches harvest at 29 days from sowing per Johnny's Selected Seeds. As an annual, harvest continues until frost ends the season.
The fruits dry and split when ripe.
Color: Brown/Copper, Green. Type: Siliqua. Length: > 3 inches.
Garden value: Edible
Harvest time: Fall, Summer
Bloom time: Spring, Summer
Edibility: The foliage is edible raw or cooked but when cooked can emit an unpleasant odor.
Storage & Preservation
Store freshly harvested Kalebration Kale Mix in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator's crisper drawer at 32–40°F with 95% humidity for optimal preservation. The tender leaves will keep fresh for 7–10 days under these conditions. For longer storage, freeze blanched kale by briefly immersing leaves in boiling water for 2–3 minutes, then plunging into ice water, draining thoroughly, and freezing in airtight containers for up to eight months. Alternatively, dehydrate leaves in a low oven at 200°F or a food dehydrator until crisp, then store in airtight jars away from light. Fermentation works exceptionally well with this mix—layer shredded leaves with 2–3% salt by weight, pack firmly in a jar, and allow several weeks for tangy, probiotic-rich results. Because Kalebration's varied leaf textures mature at slightly different rates, harvest outer leaves individually rather than cutting entire plants, extending your harvest window considerably.
History & Origin
Documentation on the specific origins of Kalebration Kale Mix remains limited in publicly available breeding records. As a commercial blend variety developed for baby-leaf production, it likely emerged from seed company breeding programs focused on ornamental and culinary kale cultivars within the Brassica genus during the early 2000s when microgreens and baby-leaf mixes gained market prominence. The variety's emphasis on color contrast and regrowth capacity reflects contemporary breeding priorities in specialty salad production. Without confirmed breeder attribution or university affiliation in standard horticultural databases, the precise parentage and development timeline cannot be definitively established, though its characteristics suggest selection from established red and green kale germplasm lines.
Brassica is a genus of plants in the cabbage and mustard family (Brassicaceae). The members of the genus are informally known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages, mustard plants, or simply brassicas. Crops from this genus are sometimes called cole crops—derived from the Latin caulis, denoting the stem or stalk of a plant.
Advantages
- +Striking red and green color contrast makes Kalebration visually appealing for retail display.
- +Quick 29-day maturity enables fast turnaround and multiple harvests per season.
- +Cut-and-come-again regrowth capability maximizes yield from single plantings.
- +Versatile marketing option works standalone or blended with baby leaf lettuce.
- +Easy difficulty rating makes Kalebration suitable for beginner and commercial growers.
Considerations
- -Kale varieties in mixes may have inconsistent regrowth rates between cultivars.
- -Color contrast quality depends heavily on adequate light and cool temperatures.
- -Variable availability of component varieties can affect mix consistency batch-to-batch.
Companion Plants
Garlic and onions are the workhorses here. Both release sulfur compounds that confuse and deter aphids — one of the main soft-bodied pests that clusters on kale's lower leaves through spring. Plant them 4–6 inches out around the perimeter of your kale bed and they pull their weight without competing much for root space. Nasturtiums do something different: they act as a trap crop, drawing aphids and cabbage loopers away from the kale itself. I plant a short row along the south edge of the bed; they're easier to sacrifice than the kale, and you can pull and trash them when they get heavily colonized.
Dill and carrots are worth tucking in because they bring in parasitic wasps that knock back caterpillar pressure without any spraying. In our zone 7 Georgia summers, dill bolts fast — get it in the ground in early March and let it flower before the heat finishes it off. That flowering stage is exactly when it's most useful to beneficials anyway.
Tomatoes and pole beans are the ones to keep on the other side of the garden. Tomatoes are heavy feeders that compete for the same nutrients kale needs for leaf production, and they'll shade out the lower canopy as the season moves into May. Pole beans fix nitrogen, which sounds like a bonus, but that extra N pushes brassicas toward soft, lush new growth that's more attractive to flea beetles and aphids. Distance is the fix — no special treatment needed, just don't interplant them.
Plant Together
Basil
Repels aphids and flea beetles that commonly attack kale
Nasturtiums
Act as trap crops for aphids and cabbage worms, protecting kale
Marigolds
Repel cabbage moths and other brassica pests with their strong scent
Onions
Deter cabbage worms and aphids while not competing for space
Carrots
Improve soil structure and don't compete for nutrients or space
Lettuce
Provides ground cover and shares similar growing conditions
Dill
Attracts beneficial insects like parasitic wasps that control cabbage worms
Garlic
Natural pest deterrent against aphids and cabbage loopers
Keep Apart
Tomatoes
Compete for nutrients and may stunt kale growth through allelopathic effects
Strawberries
Compete for nutrients and space, can inhibit brassica growth
Pole Beans
Create too much shade and compete heavily for nitrogen that kale needs
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving. % Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet. Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC #168421)
Troubleshooting Kalebration Kale Mix
What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.
Seedlings collapse at soil level within the first 7–10 days after transplanting or germination, sometimes with a fuzzy white mold visible on the soil surface
Likely Causes
- Damping off — a fungal complex (commonly Pythium or Rhizoctonia solani) that thrives in cool, wet, poorly-drained soil
- Overwatering or planting into cold, heavy soil that stays saturated
What to Do
- 1.Pull the dead seedlings and check the roots — if they're brown and mushy at the base, damping off is your culprit; don't replant brassicas in that spot without amending for drainage first
- 2.Start a fresh batch in a different bed or container with clean seed-starting mix; don't reuse old potting soil from a previous diseased planting
- 3.Water in the morning so the soil surface dries out by evening, and hold off on watering until the top inch is dry to the touch
Outer leaves turn tough, dark green, and bitter before you've gotten around to harvesting them, even though the plant looks healthy overall
Likely Causes
- Leaves left on the plant past 8–10 inches — kale foliage that's been overlooked gets overmature quickly, especially in warm weather
- Skipping harvests for more than 10–14 days during active growth
What to Do
- 1.Harvest the outer leaves when they hit 8–10 inches long and are medium-green — NC State Extension's vegetable harvesting guidelines call this the peak window
- 2.Twist leaves off at the base rather than cutting; this is faster and doesn't leave a stub that can rot
- 3.Walk the kale every 10 days — consistent picking keeps new growth coming and prevents the plant from stalling out mid-season
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Kalebration Kale Mix take to harvest?▼
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Growing Guides from Wind River Greens
Where to Buy Seeds
Sources & References
External authority sources used in compiling this guide.
- BreederJohnny's Selected Seeds
- USDAUSDA FoodData Central
See the Methodology page for how this data is sourced, what's AI-assisted, and known limitations.