Brassica oleracea
Origin: Oregon
Improvement status: Cultivar
Seeds per packet: ~80
Germination tested 08/2024: 88%
Life cycle: Biennial
Dazzling Blue' is a remarkable kale bred by Hank Keogh of Avoca Seed Farm in Oregon, who worked as a farmer for years with Frank Morton of Wild Garden Seeds and collaborated with Frank to produce this gem. It resulted from Hank's backcrossing a variant of 'Rainbow Lacinato' with its ancestor, Wild Garden Seeds' strain of 'Lacinato' (also known as 'Dinosaur' kale or 'Nero di Toscana', meaning 'Black Tuscan'). This variety has taken the seed and culinary worlds by storm, and has begun showing up at markets around the country due to its striking appearance and wonderful flavor. Seed farmers in particular love it because it's considered to be the most winter hardy lacinato-type kale, so it makes it easy to over-winter in most climates. In milder areas, it can be picked from and eaten all winter.
We're very excited to be offering Hank's latest "breeder selects" — the same seed he is currently growing out to produce the next generation, from plants individually selected by Hank to meet his exacting standards. Like any great plant breeder, Hank realizes there's always room for improvement, so despite its popularity, he still considers this a work-in-progress. His latest selection criteria focused on large second-year leaves to provide more "hunger gap" calories between winter and flowering (most kales produce much smaller leaves their second year, but Hank noticed some plants with larger leaves and decided to lean into this trait for the next generation). We only have a limited amount of this seed — and we know plenty of market farmers, seed growers, and gardeners will be itching to get the very best 'Dazzling Blue' seeds around — so snag some before it's all gone!
This variety carries the Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI) pledge, which states: “You have the freedom to use these OSSI-Pledged seeds in any way you choose. In return, you pledge not to restrict other's use of these seeds or their derivatives by patents or other means, and to include this pledge with any transfer of these seeds or their derivatives.” More information on OSSI can be found at osseeds.org.
GROWING TIPS: Direct seed 1/4-1/2 inch deep after danger of last frost, or transplant in healthy plant starts. Plants could be 12-18 inches apart in rows 18-30 inches apart.
