Black Magic Kale Seed Tape

Days to Maturity: 80 to 95

Here's a kale so versatile you can pick very young for baby greens, or allow to mature into long, deeply blistered, black-tinted leaves packed with rich flavor. Very winter-hardy, Black Magic Kale (also known as dinosaur kale, Tuscan kale, and even flat black cabbage) is a gourmet selection your whole family will love. And with seed tapes, Black Magic Kale has never been easier to sow and grow.

Black Magic sets long, slender, absolutely enormous (to 2 feet or more each) leaves that begin a grayish shade of green, then mature to a rich, deep tone of forest-green that looks black from a distance. Packed with nutrition and flavor, they are a treat almost from the moment they emerge on the plant.

Growing with seed tape is so simple. The seeds are pre-embedded into biodegradable tissue-like paper strips. Cut them to desired length and lay them onto smooth soil, covering with a bit more soil and watering them in well. As the seeds sprout and receive water, the tape biodegrades, so the plants arise neatly spaced and protected from washing away.

Harvest Black Magic leaves small (at just 6 inches or less) for baby greens, or let them grow and then pick them for kale chips and other dishes. The flavor is quite extraordinary, and they are full of vitamins and nutrients. Black Magic is one of the tastiest plants in the vegetable garden.

Black Magic Kale is prepared just like other varieties. Although it can be eaten raw, it is more frequently blanched and then used in soups, stews, casseroles, and side dishes. It holds up well to reheating, keeping both its color and flavor nicely.

Lay down the first seed tapes about 2 to 4 weeks before the last scheduled frost in spring, or 10 or more weeks before the first fall frost. (You may want to make successive sowings every few weeks, if your season is long enough.) The seeds need warmish soil to really get going, so if cold weather arrives right after you sow, allow a bit of extra time for germination.

Includes: 15 feet of seed tape