Rubybor F1 Kale (Brassica oleracea 'Rubybor F1')
BRASS-ih-kah oh-ler-AY-see-ah 'Rubybor F1'

Annual (usually grown as an annual near you) Upright in the Brassicaceae Family
 
Buy Rubybor F1 Kale
Size Notes Price Availability
10" Pot Greenhouse $19.88 Likely available
11/1 - 11/8
1/24 - 4/4

A deep purple-red curly kale, AAS Gold Medal winner, that holds its vivid color through summer heat better than most red kale varieties.

'Rubybor' is an AAS Gold Medal-winning F1 hybrid curly kale, part of the same breeding lineage as Redbor and Winterbor. It grows as an upright, compact plant with finely frilled, deep purple-red leaves over blue-green undertones, reaching 18-24 inches tall. Unlike many red kales, it holds its purple color through summer heat rather than fading to green.

It's a genuinely dual-purpose kale, grown both as an attractive landscape and container plant and as a productive edible green — tender enough for salads and flavorful cooked, with growers reporting it yields roughly double the usable leaf of other red kale varieties.

Pros

  • AAS Gold Medal winner recognized for garden performance
  • Holds its deep purple-red color through summer heat, unlike many red kales
  • Genuinely dual-purpose — as ornamental as it is productive for the kitchen

Cons

  • Taller and more upright than compact ornamental kale types, needing more room
  • Can bolt and turn bitter if left unharvested in sustained heat
  • Needs regular harvesting to keep producing tender new growth
Highlights An AAS Gold Medal-winning purple curly kale that holds its color through summer heat and yields heavily as a cut-and-come-again green.
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 18 - 24 inches tall. 16 - 18 inches wide.
Growth Rate Moderate
Sun Exposure Partial Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium
Zones 2a - 11b (Usually hardy to -50° F)
Tags Annual, Annual in Chicago, Colorful Foliage, Container, Deciduous, Edible Foliage, Edibles, Fall Annuals, Fall Color, Full Sun, Grown as Annuals, Grown For Attractive Foliage, Medium, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Popular For Fall, Vegetables
Bloom Period Rarely flowers (grown as annual foliage)
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Pricing and Availability History

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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To secure the best prices for club members and make sure we know the current plants available from each nursery, we take orders only a couple of times a month.

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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!