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Colliard Greens

Colliard Greens

Like kale, collards are non-head forming cabbages. They are quite similar genetically, but breeding and cultivating over the years has produced plants with different textures and flavor. Collards are a biennial vegetable but usually grown as an annual. The leaves are smooth and almost waxy, with pronounced veining and full of nutrituion. They are quite large, with a bright to dark green color, and the stems are fibrous, tough and span 20 to 36 in. tall and 24- to 36-in. wide.

True to the Cruciferous family, collard flowers have four yellow petals in the form of a cross. The flowers are edible.
Introduction
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Description

The plants are fairly easy to grow and do well in cool weather. You can grow them in containers or plant them directly in the ground. In either case, they’ll need loose soil and lots of sun and water. If you only pick individual leaves from your plants (and not the entire plant at once), your collard greens may continue to grow the next year. However, this will depend on the climate in your area. Collards can tolerate frosts, but if winter temperatures/conditions are severe, you may need to replant the greens next year.
Optimal Time/Temperature for Germination:
Wait until late summer or early fall to plant. Collard greens are a cool weather crop. Planting in late summer or early fall so they can beat the heat and grow well. You can simply scatter the seeds, since you will thin out to save the healthiest plants later. Your seeds should germinate in about 5 to 10 days. When the soil temperature reaches 45 °F (7 °C), it is warm enough for collards to sprout. Growing zones are 6 to 11.
Optimal Soil Conditions:
Pick a sunny and well-drained area that gets at least 6 hours of full sunlight per day. If you want to plant in containers, you can move them during the day to make sure that they get plenty of sun. No muddy spots or pooled water area yet the soil should not drain so much that it becomes bone dry and dusty. For a simple test of your soil’s drainage: Remove the bottom and top of a coffee can. Dig a hole that is 4 inches (10 cm) deep in your soil. Place the can in the hole. Pack soil around it so that it is secure in the ground. Fill the can with water. After an hour has passed, come back and measure how much the water has dropped down in the can. If at least 2 inches (5.1 cm) of water has escaped within the hour, then your soil drains well and is perfect for collards. Collard greens tolerate a range of soil pH’s, with estimates ranging from 6.0 to 7.5. You can purchase a soil pH testing kit from a garden supply store. There are two main types:digital probes and paper strips. Follow the instructions included with your kit for exact details about testing. Next, loosen your soil. Take a spade and go over the soil. Go down to a depth of about 10 inches (25 cm).
Seed Planting Depth, Spacing and Procedure:
Dig out rows in the soil if you are planting the collards in the ground. Use your spade to take out some dirt in long lines and mound it up on the sides. Create rows that are 24 inches (61 cm) to 36 inches (91 cm) apart. Whether you’re planting them in the ground or in containers, place seeds 0.25 inches (0.64 cm) below the surface of the soil. Alternatively, you can sprinkle seeds on the soil, then lightly cover them. Later, thin your seedlings when they are 8 inches (20 cm) to 10 inches (25 cm) high . If you planted lots of seeds there’s a good chance a lot of them will sprout. Pull up the smallest or weakest, and leave just the strongest, healthiest ones. If you planted in the ground, thin the seedlings until those remaining in the soil are 18 inches (46 cm) to 24 inches (61 cm) inches apart. Save the seedlings you pull up and add them to your salads for a tasty treat. After the seedlings are several inches high, you can take the whole root ball out of the container and plant it in a hole in the ground that’s slightly larger. Fill in the rest of the space with soil. Water the seedlings well when you’re done. Collard greens can grow just fine in containers, so there’s no need to transplant if you don’t want to.
Best Companion Plants and Plants that Hinder:
Companion plants are important since they help to keep away diseases and pests from your collard greens. They also loosen the soil, keep it moist and attract pollinators and other useful insects. Consequently, companion plants can improve the overall growth behavior as well as the yield of your collard green plants. Examples are mugwort, thyme, hyssop, mint, chamomile, southernwood, catnip, onion, potato, dill, garlic, rosemary, oregano, and marjoram. You should also avoid growing some plant species next to your collard greens since they can do more harm than good like cabbage, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, tomatoes, kholrabi, strawberries, leeks, and melons.

Growing Instructions

Crop Maintenance

Moisture Requirements & Solutions:
Keep the plants well-watered and harvest regularly to keep them sending out new leaves. These plants need 1 to 1 1/2 inch of water weekly. Mulch will keep the soil moist and the leaves clean. Collards do equally well in humid and dry conditions, provided the soil is kept moist.
Weeding Needs & Solutions:
The plants have shallow roots and in order to avoid damaging them, it is preferable to hand pull any weeds growing around the plants.
Feeding Needs/Optimal Natural Fertilizers:
Side dress with composted manure or spread 1 cup of fertilizer to the side of your plants soil for every 30 feet (9.1 m) you have planted in row, once they are several inches high. Lightly rake the soil to mix the natural fertilizer in, then water your plants. Collard greens need nitrogen to produce healthy leaves. If you have planted collards in containers, use about 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of organic fertilizer per plant. Keep an eye on your plants. If their leaves begin to look pale instead of dark green, fertilize again in 4-6 weeks.
Pests, Diseases & Solutions:
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on the ground near your plants to stop slugs. Slugs are slimy, soft-bodied creatures that look like snails without shells. They will eat the leaves of collard greens. Caterpillars come in many colors and sizes. The ones that will attack collard greens are likely to be an inch or two long and striped (black, white, and yellow, for instance). You can also pick the voracious larvae from the leaves by hand, rinse off with a hose; if you’re reluctant to use insecticide, try deterring pests with companion plantings of marigolds or any plants in the onion family. You may not see these pests at first, but if you see holes chewed through the leaves of your plants, they are the likely culprit. Collards are fairly hardy plants, but they can still be impacted by a few diseases. Keeping the plants in well-drained soil will prevent clubroot, which can cause plants to wither or not produce leaves. Spots on the leaves indicate a fungus, which can be treated with neem oil or sulfur. Avoiding planting collards in the same soil in successive years prevents other diseases, including: Black leg, Black rot, Yellows.
When to Harvest/Number of days to maturity:
Ready to harvest in 40-85 days. Let a light frost cover your plants before harvesting. Collards actually taste sweeter if they are allowed to frost over before harvesting. (Generally, collards are ready to harvest anywhere between 60 to 85 days after germination.)
How to Harvest:
For best results, harvest anytime after the first frost has come and gone. You can pick collards when they are frozen in the ground. However, be gentle with the plants because their leaves become brittle when frozen. Cut the whole plant about 4 inches(10 cm) from the ground. Alternatively, pick single leaves, working from the bottom up so that new ones will grow. Either way is a fine method for harvesting collard greens, but picking off individual leaves means your plants will keep producing throughout the growing season.
Optimal Storage temperature and conditions:
To wash, fill a large bowl with fresh water with a little white vinegar added and soak. Then rinse them with cold water as you pull them out. Cut and remove stems and the center rib of the collard greens. Then, boil water and cook the collard greens for 15 minutes. After draining well, you can add garlic or lemon juice to the collards to add a variety of flavor. Another option is steaming them so more minerals aren’t lost in the water. Collard greens that are stored in the freezer are cooked slightly and will have a softer consistency when defrosted. Collard greens that are stored in the freezer can be used for a long time. They usually stay good for between 10 and 12 months. If you plan on using your collard greens within the next week, don’t wash them before refrigeration. Introducing water to the greens can promote decay, cutting the length of their freshness down dramatically. If you are concerned that your greens are too dirty to store in your refrigerator, know that they will be stored in an air-tight bag. Any dirt and grit will not get onto the surfaces in your fridge. Be sure to push out as much air as you can before sealing. Collard greens that are not put into a plastic bag, but are put into the refrigerator, will become wilted very quickly. Like other vegetables, uncovered collard greens get dehydrated. This causes them to go limp. If you don’t have a plastic bag wrap the greens in a damp cloth or paper towel and place into the crisper drawer. Actually, brown grocery bags in the crisper drawer can add to prolonged freshness. They should be used about 5 to 7 days of storage.
Optimal Preserving Procedures:
Seed Saving:
Growing Collards for seed is a bit more involved, meaning that the first season is spent growing and maturing, while reproduction, flowering, and seed bearing occurs in spring of the second year. After it flowers, you’ll notice pods that resemble green beans. Discontinue watering the collard plants and allow the pods to turn brown and dry out. Don’t harvest them too early because green pods don’t produce viable seed, even if they are set out to dry after harvesting. If you leave the pods on the plant too long, on the other hand, birds may swoop down and steal them or they may crack open, dropping the seeds to the soil. Collard seeds should be black when removed from the pod. Store them in a brown paper bag in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to plant them. The seeds should remain viable for at least four years. Something else to be aware of is that the collard cross-pollinates with other brassicas, so you’ll need to control the plants during the pollination period. The best way to do this is to choose the collard plants from which you want to harvest the seeds, strong, productive plants are ideal and then dig up the others. As for the remaining brassicas in your garden, this won’t be an issue if they’re also biennial because they’ll be in their first year and won’t flower. For blooming varieties such as broccoli, rapini or any of the mustards, you’ll need to be vigilant in keeping up with your harvest. Alternatively, plant any blossoming brassicas at least 800 feet away from your collards’ seeding bed.

Harvest and Storage

Notes

Chinese cabbage doesn’t transplant very well, so direct-sowing is your best option otherwise the cares have a lot in common. Take note that garden plants have a way of working together to promote solid growth. If you plant basil, celery, garlic, potatoes, rosemary, onions or beans, put your cabbage near them in the garden. These plants repel bugs and share nutrients. Put companion plants, and other Chinese cabbage, at least 12 to 18 inches (30.5cm-45.7cm) away from your Chinese cabbage seeds. If you are going to plant multiple rows of Chinese cabbage, leave at least a foot and a half between the rows. Closer spacing produces smaller heads, which might be beneficial if you’re going to sell the cabbage at a market. Some varieties grow better with tighter or looser spacing. Check the seed packets for addition spacing information. Also, this plant is susceptible to slugs, aphids, flea beetles, and cabbage worms so you may need to install mesh screens over the plants to protect from these insects. To harvest use a sharp knife to cut the head off at the base. Leave the outer leaves and the stem and roots of the plant in the garden. Smaller heads will regrow on the plant after you chop off the head.

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