Wicked Tuff Turf Kale Seed

The ultimate standing winter feed — a tall, cold-proof brassica that stays green through snow and ice and feeds livestock and deer when everything else has frozen off.

Forage Kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala), also called Borecole, Kail, Curly Kale, or Fodder Kale, is an annual-to-biennial brassica grown as standing winter forage. Its defining trait is cold tolerance: where turnips and radishes melt away after a few hard frosts, kale stands tall — 3 to 5 feet — through ice and snow, and its palatability actually improves after frost. It produces exceptional tonnage per acre (often the highest dry-matter yield of any forage brassica), with high protein (about 15–20% crude protein) and energy. That makes it a “standing hayloft” for cattle, sheep, and goats deep into winter, and a powerful late-season magnet for deer once other food sources have died off. Our seed is uncoated and tested for purity and germination.

Key Benefits

•     Unmatched cold tolerance: green and nutritious through hard frost, snow, and ice.

•     Massive tonnage: outyields almost all other forage brassicas in dry matter.

•     Standing winter feed: a 3–5 ft “hayloft” that cuts stored-hay costs.

•     High-protein nutrition: about 15–20% crude protein and high energy.

•     Late-season deer magnet: primary food once other vegetation freezes; sweeter after frost.

•     Clean, uncoated seed: no fillers, coatings, or dyes.

Best Uses

•     Winter livestock grazing extension

•     Deer and wildlife food plots (late-season attraction)

•     High-tonnage forage production

•     Cold-climate cover crop and soil health

•     Emergency winter feed reserve

Plan Your Timing

Kale is slower to mature than turnips or mustard — it needs 90–150 days to reach grazing readiness — so plant earlier, from late spring to mid-summer, counting back 90–150 days from when you want to start using it. That long runway is the trade-off for its tonnage and standing winter durability, so it rewards planning ahead more than the quicker brassicas do.

How to Graze It

Strip-graze for best utilization — give animals access to one section at a time so they consume the whole plant and waste less. Introduce livestock to brassica grazing gradually, with other forage or fiber available alongside, since a sudden switch to a heavy brassica diet can upset rumen digestion. For deer plots, simply plant and let the frost sweeten the leaves.

Important Notes

This is an agricultural fodder crop, not a backyard salad kale. It is a brassica, so rotate thoughtfully — avoid following other brassicas (turnip, rape, radish, canola) back-to-back to prevent clubroot and other brassica disease buildup. During establishment, watch for aphids, cabbage worms, and flea beetles.

Why Choose Old Cobblers Farm™?

Every bag of Wicked Tuff Turf seed is selected for high purity and strong germination, and tested so you know what you are planting — consistent, clean, uncoated seed for producers and food-plot managers who graze the snow.