Crambe - Heartleaf Crambe, Sea Kale
(Cram'be)
DESCRIPTION: These hardy perennials originate in Asia and Europe and include one, C. maritima, also known as Sea Kale, which is used as a vegetable. C. Cordifolia, Heartleaf Crambe, is a vigorous, many-branched plant with very large, dark green leaves that are heart-shaped and crinkled. The white, 4-petaled flowers are tiny and are borne in large, loose sprays in the summer. The Heartleaf Crambe can grow up to 6 feet high with a spread of 4 feet or more. C. maritima, the Sea Kale, grows wild in the seaside districts of Europe. It is grown for its blanched shoots, which somewhat resemble Celery, in the winter and spring.
POTTING: Crambe are easy to grow in regular, well-drained garden soil, although rich soil will give better results. They can be grown in partial shade, but will flower better in full sun. They should be spaced 5 feet apart. Sea Kale needs deeply dug, rich soil in a position with full sun.
PROPAGATION:
Ornamental - These plant are increased by division in the spring, by seed sown in the spring or fall, or by root cuttings inserted 3 inches deep in sand in the autumn. Cuttings of shoots may also be taken in the spring and rooted in sandy soil under a bell jar.
Sea Kale - Sea Kale may be propagated by seeds or by root cuttings. Root cuttings will provide roots for lifting and forcing by the end of the season, seeds will be ready the end of the second year. Seeds should be sown outside in the spring time in deeply dug soil, which has had manure added. Drills are dug about an inch deep and a foot apart. Sprinkle the seeds thinly in the drills and cover by raking the soil level. The seedlings will need to be thinned out and eventually be 6 inches apart. Throughout the summer, keep weeds down and don't disturb until the following spring, when they are lifted and replanted 22 feet apart on new ground that has been prepared properly. The crown or top of each root must be cut off to prevent the plants from producing flowers. Set the roots so they are an inch or so below the soil. Make sure they are only allowed one shoot to each plant to ensure excellent roots. In the fall, the roots will be large enough for forcing, if they are needed for that. Once you have a stock of Sea Kale plants, the ordinary way of propagation is root cuttings, which are 5 to 6 inches long. These are made from smaller pieces taken off of the main roots, when they are lifted for forcing in the fall. If no forcing is done, root cuttings are taken in late fall. Cut the top of the root straight across and the bottom at a slant so to distinguish which side is which. Store the cuttings during the winter in a pile of soil or sand outside, making sure they are covered sufficiently. As soon as the ground in workable in the spring, plant the root cuttings in deep, rich soil, 15 to 18 inches apart, in rows 2 feet apart. The cuttings are inserted so that the tops are an inch below the surface of the soil. When the plants are actively growing during the summer, feed with liquid fertilizer. Make sure to remove all but one side shoot when they are small. If the roots are needed for forcing in a warm, dark cellar or other suitable place, they should be lifted and planted 2 inches apart in deep boxes of soil. Set them in a 45- to 50-degree temperature, keep the soil moist and the roots dark, and fresh growth will soon begin. Place the boxes underneath greenhouse benches making sure light is excluded by hanging mats or sacking along the edges of the benches. The containers of roots can also be placed in a greenhouse, cellar, or shed and each is covered with an inverted pot. The young shoots are ready to be cut when they are about 6 inches long. Sea Kale roots may easily be forced outside without having to disturb the roots. The fastest way is to place boxes or large flowerpots over the roots in late winter and to surround these with fresh stable manure, which gives off quite a bit of warmth and therefore starts the roots into growth. Subsequent supplies are provided by covering the containers with mounds of sifted ashes; as soon as the tips peak through the ashes they are ready to be cut. Roots that have been lifted and forced in warmth are useless and should be discarded. Before they are gotten rid of however, the smaller pieces should be taken off as root cuttings and treated in the way already described to provide plants the following year. Sea Kale roots that are forced into growth outside and not disturbed will stay good for several years.
VARIETIES: C. Cordifolia (Heartleaf Crambe); C. orientalis; C. maritima (Sea Kale).
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