Safe to Plant

Kai-lan · Baltimore, Maryland, United States

When to plant kai-lan in Baltimore

Main outdoor window

26 Apr - 10 May

The window this page is built around.

Timed from last spring frost

12 April

In Baltimore, on your chosen risk.

Ready to pick

1 Jul - 31 Oct

If you plant at the start of the window.

The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.

Step by step in Baltimore

Each window is a range, not a single day. Earlier in the range buys you a longer season; later in it buys you a safer one.

Sow direct

26 Apr - 10 May

Two weeks after your last frost.

Harvest

1 Jul - 31 Oct

Sow in succession. A single sowing gives you a single glut. Sow a short row every 21 days through the window above and you get a steady supply instead.
Frost tolerance
Half-hardy
Damaged below
-4°C (24.8°F)
Days to maturity
50–70
Min soil temp
10°C (50°F)
Spacing
30 cm
Sowing depth
10 mm (0.4 in)
Sun
Full

Kai-lan through the year

Against the frost risk in Baltimore

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Kai-lan

Frost risk Sow direct Harvest Today

Why these dates

Sow from two weeks after the last frost and again every three weeks. Cutting the main stem above a leaf brings a second flush of side shoots.

Takes a light frost around -4C. Cold makes the stems sweeter but slows them to a stop, so late sowings need a cloche to finish.

Seed packets and extension guides express timing as weeks either side of the last spring frost, because that is the only reference point that travels. Kai-lan are timed for direct sowing 2 weeks after it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for Baltimore.

The median frost-free season here is 206 days, against 50 to 70 days to maturity for this crop counted from sowing. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.

See every crop timed for Baltimore →

Nearby

Kai-lan in places close by

Washington 57 km Arlington 62 km Alexandria 66 km Philadelphia 144 km Richmond 207 km

Also in Baltimore

Other vegetables to time

Tomatoes tender Lettuce half hardy Potatoes half hardy Courgettes tender Sweet peppers tender Carrots hardy Cucumbers tender Green beans tender Peas hardy Garlic very hardy Chilli peppers tender Sweetcorn tender

Growing kai-lan in Baltimore

When should I plant kai-lan in Baltimore?

Aim for 26 Apr - 10 May in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 5-19 May - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.

When will kai-lan be ready to harvest in Baltimore?

Expect to start picking around 1 Jul - 31 Oct, based on 50 to 70 days to maturity from the planting date calculated for this location.

How much frost will kai-lan tolerate?

Takes a light frost around -4C. Cold makes the stems sweeter but slows them to a stop, so late sowings need a cloche to finish.