Do Flowering Kale & Cabbage Have Seeds?

All flowering kale and cabbage eventually produce seed.

Flowering kale and cabbage are in the same family as edible cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. Instead of growing them for fresh eating, gardeners plant them for their colorful, ornamental leaves. Like their edible counterparts, flowering kale and cabbage eventually produce seed.

Bolting

When a kale or cabbage plant prepares to go to seed, it bolts. Bolting occurs during hot weather. The plant grows taller, produces a stalk, begins to flower and produces seed. Bolting also occurs when the plant is exposed to low temperatures for an extended time.

Flowers

Ornamental kale and cabbage produce white or yellow flowers that insects pollinate. Commercial growers, unlike home gardeners, must let their plants produce flowers to produce seed for sale.

Considerations

When a kale or cabbage plant flowers, whether ornamental or edible, it's an undesirable trait. Select bolt-resistant or slow-bolting varieties for your home garden to prolong your growing season.

References

• University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension; Ornamental Cabbages And Kales For Fall Color; Margaret Hagen
• Southern Living: Gardener's Glossary
• University of Illinois Extension: Cabbage
• The University of Georgia College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences; Commercial Production and Management of Cabbage and Leafy Greens; William Terry Kelley, et al., eds.; February 2009