Early Potatoes with Autumn Kale
Early potatoes clear the bed by July, leaving loosened soil for kale that stands deep into winter.
Season timeline
- Plant the early potatoes
- Sow kale in trays
- Harvest the early potatoes
- Clear the potato rows
- Transplant the kale
- Harvest kale after the first frosts
- Clear the bed
Bed layout
Crops in this bed
Step by step
- Plant the early potatoesMar–Apr
Plant pre-sprouted early seed potatoes about 10 cm deep as soon as the soil warms up.
- Sow kale in traysJun
Sow kale in modules in June; the seedlings need about six weeks before transplanting.
- Harvest the early potatoesJun–Jul
Lift the tubers once the foliage starts to yellow; early varieties do not need to mature fully.
- Clear the potato rowsJul
Remove all foliage and stray tubers and rake the loosened bed level.
- Transplant the kaleJul–Aug
Plant kale seedlings deep into the freed rows and water them in well.
- Harvest kale after the first frostsOct–Dec
Pick the lower leaves first; frost makes them sweeter, and the plants keep producing.
- Clear the bedDec
Remove the spent kale stems and compost healthy foliage.
Harvest calendar
| Crop | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potato | Potato: Jun | Potato: Jul | ||||||||||
| Cabbage | Cabbage: Oct | Cabbage: Nov | Cabbage: Dec |
The bed over the season
- Potato · Sowing
- Potato · Growing
- Potato · Harvest
- Cabbage · Sowing
- Cabbage · Growing
- Cabbage · Harvest
Why this combination works
Potatoes loosen and shade the soil while they grow, and early varieties clear the bed by July — exactly when kale seedlings need to go out. The kale then uses the loosened, weed-free soil for its autumn growth, and the first frosts even improve its flavour by turning starches into sugar.
Tips
Hill the potatoes twice so the tubers never green. Give transplanted kale a thorough soak in dry summers. Do not fertilize kale with fresh manure; it attracts aphids. Harvest kale leaf by leaf and the plants last into January.