Kale, Bear Necessities (Organic)

Brassica napus. 25 days baby, 50 days full.

A finely serrated frilly kale with a tender texture making it suitable for salad mix at all stages of growth. A great cold tolerant variety that is mild, very sweet and adds a lot of volume to salad mix. Larger leaves are also good for bunching and cooking. We’ve received reports that Bear Necessities appears to confuse the swede midge, perhaps due to its super frilly leaves, giving Bear Necessities a clear advantage over other kales. The swede midge is a pest that’s becoming a serious problem for growers on the East Coast. Leaves vary in color from green to purple but all plants in this Tim Peters-bred population have the super frilly, skeletal leaf type. Derived from Russian and Siberian kales (B. napus) crossed with mizuna (B. rapa). Aka, Bare Necessities.

As required by the Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Washington Crucifer Quarantine, all Brassica family seed lots have been tested and found negative for blackleg (Phoma lingam) by an approved, certified lab.

$4.35

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$7.35

In stock

$14.70

In stock

$24.00

In stock

$54.00

Out of stock

$200.00

Out of stock

Geographical Origin

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Sow indoors with good potting soil February through September. Transplant about 3-4 weeks after sprouting. In our region, kale can grow through the winter without protection, and survives best when sown in June or early July for this purpose. Alternatively, direct sow March through September.

Seed Saving

To maintain genetic diversity and prevent inbreeding, collect seeds from 10 or more plants of B. napus varieties, or 30 or more plants of B. oleracea. Cut seed heads when pods are dry, place on tarp, thresh by hand or by dancing.  Winnow and screen to clean. Isolate from other Brassicas of the same species by ½ mile.

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4.75 out of 5 stars

4 reviews

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What others are saying

  1. emeraldentropy

    Beautiful Kale best for cooler seasons

    emeraldentropy (verified owner)

    Where did you grow this variety? Oregon

    All the seeds I planted germinated quickly and developed faster then my other kale varieties. These got huge quickly like the mustard plants I grow. I live in southern Oregon and the summers get really hot so I like to grow kale varieties that don’t taste too bitter from the heat. These were sweet and tender in early spring but now that we’ve had multiple 90 degree days they are very bitter and taste like the mustard plants that bolted. So I don’t recommend them for hot seasons. These plants are extremely ornamental and the most beautiful veggie in my garden. The seeds give you quite a variety. Of the 8 I grew only 2 look like the picture so the seeds genetics aren’t stabilized.

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  2. redanielson

    My favorite Variety

    redanielson (verified owner)

    Where did you grow this variety? California

    It’s funny that I have tried two varieties of kale from AS, this (my favorite) and Madeley (least favorite) of the 8-10 varieties total I have grown. Bear necessities is visually very beautiful, adds great texture to salads, and is the most aphid-resistant I have grown (HUGE selling point for me). Love it@

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  3. Karen

    Great germination, not all look like the pictures

    Karen (verified owner)

    Where did you grow this variety? California

    I was impressed that out of the 6 seeds I planted in 2 pots, all 6 germinated. In each pot, 2 plants had no frills (looked like normal red Russian), but still tasted good. So glad that each pot had 1 plant with frills. I gave one to my sister and I am growing the other one. Neither of the 2 frilled ones are as “frilly” as the pictures, but still worth the price because the Kale is so cool looking.

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  4. Leah

    Interesting flavor

    Leah

    Where did you grow this variety? Washington

    Planted for fall 2023 Western WA and was surprised by not all looking as the picture. That’s ok they have an amazing flavor, to me the leaves have a taste of the sea. I know that sounds strange however the taste is really outstanding. Less caterpillars on these which is a bonus, even though I cover with insect netting those dang moths find their way.

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