I have a swiss chard that's been doing that for past 3 years. I would not be surprised if Kale did the same. Basically, chopping off the top growth does not kill the root ball.

Hope this helps!

Well..... It could be chard too since I had both planted in the same bed.
Thanks for the idea.

Is it too late to start kale from seed in Socal??
new to california so please excuse the ignorance.
Thanks.

It's not too late to plant it, but the leaves will be bitter. In California, kale and most leafy greens are fall/winter/spring crops because the heat turns their taste bitter.

I suspect in Socal, the season will be even shorter.

You can plant it in somewhat shady area, try your luck in Fall and eat it in winter :-)

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the info.

I think I will wait till fall to plant it. LOL. It's kind of strange to hear me say that ; coming from Michigan we were normally in pack up mode in the fall as far as gardening was concerned.

Guess it will take me some time before I get used to the idea of gardening year round.

Back to the original question, yes, kale will do that resprouting thing along with lots of other plants, including celery and green onions.

Kales in socal can look like they've nearly died in summer and then suddenly perk up and start putting out juicy new leaves over the winter.

Cutting back flowering stalks before they flower encourages vegetative growth.