Kalettes

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

, Caterpillars

Caterpillars

Lepidoptera larvae

Holes, droppings, and a pest you can simply pick off by hand.

, Flea beetles

Flea beetles

Chrysomelidae (Alticini)

Shot-holes in seedling leaves, and a beetle that jumps when you lean in.

.

Attract Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

, Ground beetles

Ground beetles

Carabidae

Night-active ground hunters, taking slugs, cutworms and leatherjackets at soil level.

to keep them in check — plant French MarigoldGreat, Bird's-foot TrefoilGreat and African MarigoldGreat nearby.

Growing from seed

Start Kalettes indoors about 6 weeks before your last frost, keeping seeds in cooler soil (around 10–18 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 7 days. Move seedlings out once the danger of frost has passed, in full sun, spaced about 45 cm apart. Expect to harvest in roughly 90 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  French Marigold
  

  French MarigoldGreat pair

  • ❧French Marigold attracts Hoverflies and Lacewings and more, which prey on the Aphids that attack Kalettes
  • ❧French Marigold suppresses pests that trouble Kalettes
  • ❧French Marigold acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Kalettes
• 
  Clover
  

  CloverGreat pair

  • ❧Clover fixes nitrogen in the soil that Kalettes feeds on
  • ❧Kalettes draws Bees and Butterflies that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Clover acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Kalettes
• 
  Fernleaf Lavender
  

  Fernleaf LavenderGreat pair

  • ❧Fernleaf Lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Caterpillars and more that attack Kalettes
  • ❧Kalettes draws Bees and Butterflies that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Fernleaf Lavender acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Kalettes

How to grow Kalettes

1. Sow6 weeks before frost
2. Germinates7 days
3. Space45 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~90 days

Water: Medium · Height: 90 cm · Soil: Well-draining, fertile soil rich in organic matter; prefers slightly alkaline to neutral pH.