Sea Kale and Carogold Sweet Potatoes

Hi everyone!

I'm on the hunt for sea kale plants. I tried seeds, but no luck on germination. Does anyone out there have any sea kale plants they would trade? I'm also on the hunt for some more Carogold sweet potato slips. The deer ate the ones I just planted and Baker Creek is sold out already. Any help on this end is appreciated!

I don't think I'm ready to start dividing my Sea Kale, and I also haven't gotten seeds (either purchased or grown on my own) to work.

I started out with roots from Cultivariable. I don't see Bill's presence online much these days, but you might ping him: https://www.cultivariable.com/catalog/sea-kale/

You can also find greater sea kale (Crambe cordifolia) from Strictly Medicinal Seeds. I’ve grown them and had good germination and one survived the winter, but my plants are not big enough to make seeds or divide.

https://strictlymedicinalseeds.com/product/colewort-crambe-maritima-seeds-organic/

Sea kale can be tricky to germinate. Did you cold stratify them? I got seeds from Experimental Farm Network last year and they did really well. You have to crack the corky part open first. There's probably a more clever way to do it, but I think I just used my teeth. Once you get that shell opened, you put them in a damp paper towel in a sealed bag in the fridge for a few weeks. I don't think it would be too late to start now and plant them out in the Fall for a second try. Sea Kale is so good it's worth all the trouble!

All I did was crack the seed shell gently between the teeth and then plant as with any annual brassica. They seem very easy.

This is Crambe cordifolia so maybe the ordinary sea kale is different.

You can find Carogold plus a LOT more here:

https://www.sandhillpreservation.com/copy-of-sweet-potato-varieties-2