Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Walking Stick Kale (Brassica oleracea var. longata)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called walking stick kale, Jersey kale, tall tree kale, cow cabbage.

More about walking stick kale

About Walking Stick Kale

Brassica oleracea var. longata · also called walking stick kale, Jersey kale · edible

Walking stick kale, the Jersey cabbage, is a curiosity brassica that grows a tall, woody single stem 1.5-3 m high, traditionally dried and varnished into walking canes. Its young leaves are edible like ordinary kale and were historically used as cattle fodder. A long-season biennial, it needs a full growing year, firm staking and a sheltered, fertile site to reach its towering, top-heavy height.

Cold limit: USDA 8-10 (needs a long mild season; overwinters in mild regions) · RHS H3 (7-24°C)

Watch for — Slow, incomplete growth: The plant needs a long season and rich soil to reach full height. Sow early, feed generously, and protect from hard frosts so it can grow on through a second year.

What walking stick kale's hardiness rating actually means

Walking Stick Kale is half-hardy (RHS H3). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Its RHS rating of H3 means: Half-hardy — comes through mild UK winters outside but is killed by a hard freeze. On the US scale that maps to USDA 8-10 (needs a long mild season; overwinters in mild regions) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −5 to 1 °C — a light, short frost only. Walking Stick Kale shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

Concretely, for walking stick kale as it gets too cold:

Down to roughly about −5 to 1 °C it copes, especially if dry and sheltered.
A sustained hard frost collapses the top growth; whether it returns depends on whether the roots, crown or tubers froze.
Wet cold is far more lethal than dry cold for this plant — soggy, frozen soil is the usual killer.

Can walking stick kale go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 8-10 (needs a long mild season; overwinters in mild regions) or a frost-free UK microclimate.
In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter.
A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when walking stick kale can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H3 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline walking stick kale

Walking Stick Kale is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost.
Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse.
Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones.
Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.

Walking Stick Kale hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is walking stick kale cold hardy?

Walking Stick Kale is half-hardy (RHS H3). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Borderline outdoors. In its mild end of USDA 8-10 (needs a long mild season; overwinters in mild regions) (and sheltered UK gardens) walking stick kale can stay out; in colder areas it must be lifted, brought in, or treated as a frost-tender plant.

What is the minimum temperature walking stick kale can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −5 to 1 °C — a light, short frost only. Walking Stick Kale shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

What hardiness zone is walking stick kale?

Walking Stick Kale is rated USDA 8-10 (needs a long mild season; overwinters in mild regions) and RHS H3 — Half-hardy — comes through mild UK winters outside but is killed by a hard freeze.

Can walking stick kale survive winter outside?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 8-10 (needs a long mild season; overwinters in mild regions) or a frost-free UK microclimate. In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter. A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

How do I protect walking stick kale from frost?

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost. Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse. Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones. Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.