'Western Front' Kale

Brassica napus Origin: Holyoke, MA Improvement status: Cultivar Seeds per packet: ~70 Germination tested 10/2024: 94% Lifecycle: Biennial Eric Toensmeier and Jonathan Bates (co-authors of Paradise Lot) originally received seeds for this Red Russian-type kale from the great Tim Peters in the year 2000. At that point, in Oregon, Tim was finding around 50% of seedlings were perennial. But the perennials were never hardy in Massachusetts. Nevertheless, the kale was so delicious, and enough plants reliably survived through one winter for it to establish itself (self-sowing) in the lot in Holyoke for over 20 years. They never bothered producing starts for this plant, but did broadcast seeds in gaps in the garden to supplement the volunteers that pop up wherever they please. Flowering shoots in the spring are also delicious as little kale-broccolinis! These seeds were produced by Eric in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Our friends at Adaptive Seeds in Oregon and Quail Seeds in California are the only