{"id":2877,"date":"2020-04-13T04:12:13","date_gmt":"2020-04-13T04:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?p=2877"},"modified":"2020-04-13T04:14:37","modified_gmt":"2020-04-13T04:14:37","slug":"collards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/13\/collards\/","title":{"rendered":"Collards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Brassica oleracea <\/em>var acephala<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong>: Collards are the same sub-species as Scotch kale, but differ in\nbeing more tolerant of hot weather (it is often a bigger plant too, with\nbroader, fleshier leaves). Their heat tolerance has made them an important crop\nin warmer parts of the world, notably in Africa, Brazil and around the\nMediterranean. In North America they are most widely grown in the southeastern\nStates, where they are grown year round (but not usually harvested much during\nthe summer months). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutritional content<\/strong>: Collards are \/ is a highly nutritious plant, being rich in\nvitamins A, C and K, chlorophyll and many important phytochemicals (including\nisothiocyanates, sulfuraphane, lutein and zeaxanthin). It is said to contain\neven more antioxidants than other Brassicas (which are all a good source of them). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate<\/strong>: Collards tolerates hot weather very well, but the leaves taste\nbetter in cool weather and it really comes into its own in the depth of winter,\nwhen other crops die off.  It doesn\u2019t\njust tolerate cold weather, its flavor is actually improved by it (they become\nsweeter and more tender). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ease of growing<\/strong>: This isn\u2019t far removed from a wild plant\nand shows it by being pretty easy to grow. It is even easier in cold weather, when\nit leaves most of its potential pests and diseases behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH 6.0 – 7.5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collards are more tolerant of poor soil than other Brassicas, but\nthe most palatable leaves are produced by rapid uninterrupted growth. For this\nthe soil must be rich, well-drained and moisture retentive with lots of organic\nmatter. Of course with a winter crop, drainage is usually more of a concern\nthan water retention. If the soil is too wet in winter the roots may rot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil preparation<\/strong>: These\nplants like organic matter, so amend the soil by digging in 2\u02dd of compost or\naged manure. It also likes a neutral pH, so add lime to raise the pH if\nnecessary. Its nutritional requirements are similar to those of cabbage, in\nthat it needs a significant amount of phosphorus and potassium, but not a lot of\nnitrogen. If your soil isn\u2019t very fertile you may also want to add some\nfertilizer mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Collards<\/strong>  <\/strong>

Seed facts<\/strong>
Germ temp: 40 (45 – 95) 95\u00b0F
Germination time: 4 – 9 days
15 days \/ 50\u00b0F
9 days \/ 59\u00b0F
6 days \/ 68\u00b0F
5 days \/ 77\u00b0F * Optimum
4 days \/ 86\u00b0F
Seed viability: 4 – 6 years
Germination percentage: 75+
Weeks to grow transplants 5 – 6  

Planning facts<\/strong>
Hardiness: Very hardy
Growing temp: 40 (60 – 65) 75\u00b0F
Plants per person: 10
Plants per sq ft: to 1
Height: 18 – 36\u02dd
Spread: 18 – 36\u02dd  

Planting<\/strong>:
Spring<\/strong>
Start indoors: On last frost
Plant out: 4 wks after last frost
Direct sow: 4 weeks after last frost
Fall<\/strong>
Direct sow: 60 \u2013 90 days before first frost  

Harvest facts<\/strong>
Days to harvest:     
50 – 70 days from transplant    
80 – 100 days from seed
Harvest period: 16 – 26 weeks
Yield per plant: 1 – 2 lb (I am being very conservative)   <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Planning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where<\/strong>: A winter collard crop will be growing in the coldest part of the\nyear, so should be planted in the warmest, sunniest, most sheltered part of the\ngarden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is one of the most shade tolerant garden vegetables, though\nit won\u2019t be quite as productive as when in full sun. In warmer weather it is\nusually happier in light shade. If this is from a deciduous tree, it will\nmostly disappear in winter, which is ideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Crop rotation<\/strong>: Collards and should not be planted where any other Brassica has\ngrown in the past 3 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spring<\/strong>: Collards can be planted in spring for harvesting right through the summer, but tastes better in cool weather. Having said that, it is probably still better than most greens you can buy at the store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall \/ winter<\/strong>: Collards is a traditional winter crop, planted in mid-summer to\nlate summer. The plants should be fairly big by the time of the first frost, so\nthey are vigorous enough to keep growing. In mild climates it will continue to\ngrow all winter without disruption and can be harvested continually for months\n(it will also be in peak condition\nin the cool weather).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can plant your autumn collards as an intercrop between an\nexisting summer crop. It will gradually take over the space as the weather gets\ncooler and the summer crop\nfades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to use collards as a staple winter crop you should\nprobably grow quite a lot of it. It grows slowly in winter, so you want to have\nquite a few plants to harvest from (so you don\u2019t stress any one plant too\nmuch).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct sowing<\/strong>: The easiest way to grow collards is to sow it directly into the\ngarden. The seed germinates easily and grows quickly, even in fairly cool soil.\nPlant the seeds \u00bc – \u00bd\u02dd deep and 2\u02dd apart. Start harvest thinning when all the\nseedlings have emerged and\nare of sufficient size. As the planting fills in, it\nis gradually harvest thinned, first to 6\u02dd, then to 12\u02dd and then to a final\nspacing of 15 – 18\u02dd. The fully grown plants are very tolerant of cold weather, smaller ones less so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transplants<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting inside<\/strong>: Collards can be started indoors to get an earlier crop in\nspring. They will germinate and grow much faster in warmer conditions, enabling\nyou to plant out a thriving seedling, rather than a seed. Beware though, that\nif you are too successful and grow big healthy transplants, exposure to cold temperatures\nwill probably cause them to bolt. This occurs because low temperatures cause this\nbiennial to sense that it has gone through a winter, which means it is time to\nflower (this is called vernalization). To avoid this the stems should be no\nthicker than \u215b\u02dd when transplanted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transplants may also be used where insects or other pests are a\nproblem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collards\ntransplant easily so can be started in flats, as well as cell packs and soil\nblocks. Plant the seed 1\u02dd apart in a flat and when the seedlings are big enough\nprick out into another flat, leaving 2\u02dd between the plants. The plants are\nready to go outside when they have 3 – 5 true leaves, a stem diameter of about\n\u215b\u02dd and are 3 – 5\u02dd tall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting out<\/strong>: Transplant the seedlings slightly deeper than they grew in the\nflats, up to the depth of their first true leaves. Water well after planting\n(of course).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting transplants outside<\/strong>: In terms of bed space, a collard seed takes up as much space as\nan 8 week old transplant, so direct sowing isn\u2019t very space efficient. You can\nuse bed space more efficiently by sowing your fall crop in an outdoor nursery\nbed (this only works in warm weather of course). Leave them there until they\nare of transplant size and then plant them out at their full spacing in early\nfall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spacing<\/strong>: The plants can get quite big, so give them plenty of room:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beds<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

12\u02dd apart in excellent soil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15\u02dd apart in good soil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18\u02dd apart in poor soil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rows<\/strong>: If you want to plant in rows, space them 18 – 24\u02dd apart, with\n12\u02dd between the plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Care<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weeds<\/strong>: Collards are pretty independent once established, so you only\nreally need worry about weeds while they are young.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watering<\/strong>: The large leaves and can lose a lot of water in warm weather\n(another reason not to grow it then). It is actually moderately drought\ntolerant, but for the best quality (texture and flavor) you must keep it well\nsupplied with water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertilization<\/strong>: If the soil isn\u2019t very fertile, feed the\nplants with compost tea or liquid kelp. Start feeding them as soon as they have\nrecovered from transplanting and every month thereafter. This is especially\nimportant if you are going to be harvesting for weeks on end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulching<\/strong>: Use a mulch in summer to keep down weeds, keep the soil cool and\nconserve soil moisture. In winter a mulch can help to protect the roots by\nmoderating soil temperature and preventing frost heaving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Problems<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests<\/strong>: Collards are less vulnerable to pests than other Brassicas (even\nto clubroot), but still have their share, especially in warm weather (aphids\nare the commonest). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plants of the Brassicaceae<\/em> family have developed a pungent and toxic\noil to protect themselves from insect predators. This is very effective in most\ncases, however a number of insects have not only evolved some resistance to it,\nbut are now actually attracted by it. These are serious pests of Brassicas and\ncan make growing them much more difficult than it should be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aphids<\/strong>: These are the ever-present pests of Brassicas. Blasting them off\nwith a strong jet (I mean strong) of water makes a big difference. It also pays\nto have lots of insectory plants (Phacelia, Asteraceae. Apiaceae<\/em>)\naround to feed the predators that prey on aphids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caterpillars<\/strong>: Several types of caterpillar live only on\nthe various Brassicas and can strip a young plant to the midribs in a short\ntime. It is important to keep an eye out for these, so you can deal with them\nbefore they devastate your crop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have only a few plants, hand picking\nis the best way to go. If you have a whole field then a spray of BT (Bacillus thuringensis<\/em>) is usually recommended. Parasitic wasps can\nkill a lot of caterpillars if given the chance, but not if you start spraying poisons. Red cabbage is not as attractive to caterpillars\nas the green, though it is more attractive to aphids. If they are really bad\nyou might also go after the conspicuous white butterflies with a butterfly net.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flea\nBeetles<\/strong>: These tiny\ninsects are common in spring and eat small holes in the leaves of the young\nplants. Transplants can usually take this damage without too much problem, they\nwill just put out new leaves, but newly germinated seedlings may be killed. If\nthey are a big problem you could use row covers, or plant some turnip seed as a\ntrap crop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cabbage Root Fly<\/strong>: This is probably the worst Brassica pest. It lays its eggs at\nthe base of the plant and the newly hatched larvae work their way down to the\nroots and eat them. If they are numerous enough they pretty much destroy the\nroots and kill the plant. The first warning sign is when a plant wilts in sunny\nweather. If this occurs, examine the root for the small white maggots, which\nlook like small grains of rice. If you find affected plants, remove and kill\nthe maggots to stop them maturing and reproducing (or just to make you feel\nbetter). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The easiest way to deal with these pests is to use row covers,\nwhich prevents the fly getting near enough to the plant to lay eggs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another effective control is to use 6\u02dd\nsquares (or disks) of foam carpet backing. You cut a slit to the center of the\nsquare and put them around the stem. These work very well, because the foam can\nexpand as the stem enlarges. These disks not only make it harder for the fly\nlarvae to get into the root, but also provide refuges for the predatory beetles\nthat eat the eggs and larvae. These disks have achieved 70% control, which is\nas good as most pesticides. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t have to totally eliminate all of these maggots. Some\ndamage is tolerable, so long as it doesn\u2019t seriously affect the crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other pests<\/strong>: Cutworms, harlequin bugs, thrips, root knot nematodes, slugs and\nsnails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Birds<\/strong>: These will sometimes eat seedlings,\nespecially in spring. If this is a problem you may have to net the plants (row\ncovers used to prevent other pests will also work). In my garden quail are a\nproblem for Brassicas year round, but particularly in winter. They love to eat\nthe <\/p>\n\n\n\n

leaves and will tear them to shreds\n(sometimes they strip whole plants). They are\nnow so bad that I have to net the plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diseases<\/strong>: Alternaria <\/em>blight, black leg, black rot, downy mildew, Fusarium <\/em>wilt and wirestem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clubroot<\/strong>: (Plasmodiophora brassicae<\/em>): This serious root disease is\na big problem in some areas. It causes the roots to swell up like clubs and can\nkill the plant. Clubroot likes acid soil, so the closer your soil is to neutral\nthe better. If this disease gets into your soil it can stay there for years,\neven without any Brassicas to infect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutrient\ndeficiency<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boron deficiency<\/strong>: Brassicas generally are quite susceptible to boron deficiency,\nwhich manifests itself as hollow stems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Harvesting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: Collards produce an abundance of foliage right through the\ngrowing season, but it is at its best during cold weather. This is because cold\nweather stimulates the conversion of starches in the leaves into sugars (a\nsimilar thing happens in Jerusalem artichokes and parsnips). A few nights of\nfreezing temperatures are enough to make this happen. The cold also makes the\nleaves more tender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can gather kale leaves for as long as they are produced,\nsometimes right through the winter. Even the frozen leaves can be eaten and are\nactually very good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the plants bolt in spring, the flower buds can (and should)\nbe gathered and used like broccoli. They are a nutritious and tasty treat, that is not to be missed. If they are infested with aphids, blast them off with a jet of\nwater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How<\/strong>: For a longer and bigger harvest it is best to gather single\nleaves as they get large enough. Take them from the bottom of the plants and leave the growing heart alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may be able to stimulate an old plant to put out tender new\ngrowth, by stripping\noff all of its leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed saving<\/strong>: Collard is a biennial and takes two years to produce seed. Plants\nover-wintered in the ground will flower the following spring. Don\u2019t save seed\nfrom plants that flower in their first year, as you don\u2019t want to raise an\nannual strain that bolts quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collard will cross-pollinate with any other Brassica crop\n(broccoli, Brussels sprout, cabbage, collards), so you have to ensure that only\none type (and variety) flowers at once. The alternative is to isolate them,\neither by distance (1000 yards for different varieties, 1500 yards for\ndifferent crops), or by caging them (don\u2019t forget they need insects for\npollination). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cabbage is usually self-incompatible and must be cross-pollinated\nby insects. This means there must be a number of plants flowering at the same\ntime. Normally you should save the seed from at least 5 plants to maintain some\ngenetic diversity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A large plant may produce as much as a half-pound of seed. This\ncan get quite heavy and the stem may need support if it is not to break under\nits own weight. This is far more seed than you will ever need for planting. You\ncan sprout most of it like alfalfa, or use it to grow micro-greens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seed pods should be gathered when the older bottom pods first\nstart to split open. Watch them carefully as they shatter easily when they are\nfully ripe. Cut the seedpod bearing stems and dry them in a warm place (I put\nsmall quantities in a paper grocery bag, so I don\u2019t lose any seeds). The seeds\nare fairly big and are easily handled and cleaned. Of course it is essential\nthat they are thoroughly dry before storage. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unusual growing ideas<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wild garden<\/strong>: This is quite an independent plant and can do well in the wild\nor forest garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Container growing<\/strong>: Collard can do well in containers, so long as it has enough\nroom, good soil\nand plenty of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There aren\u2019t\na huge number of varieties, these are some of the most commonly available:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Georgia\n<\/strong>– Tender blue\/green\nleaves (65 days)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vates\n<\/strong>– Dark Green leaves (70\n– 80 days)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Champion<\/strong> – High\nyielding, slow to bolt (70 days).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Green\nGlaze<\/strong> – Sometimes called greasy collards, it\nis an old heirloom (1820) with bright green leaves. (80 days).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top\nBunch F1<\/strong> – A fast growing hybrid, similar to\nGeorgia (50 days).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kitchen use<\/strong>: Collard greens are a classic southern dish and are traditionally\neaten on new years day with black eyed peas. They are commonly prepared by\ntearing the leaves into shreds (discarding the thick stems) and boiling in salt\nwater with ham hocks for anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m all for tradition, but I can\u2019t help thinking that 45 minutes\ncooking is a little too long. I prefer to use the more tender greens, cut off\nany tough stems and cook the leaves by steaming them for 5 minutes or so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the leaves are tough you can remove\nthe thick fibrous midribs and just use the more tender leaf blades (fold the\nleaf in half and slice off the stem with one movement).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have read that if you put summer\nharvested collard leaves in the fridge for a few days, their flavor will\nimprove (I haven\u2019t tried it though).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brassica oleracea var acephala Introduction: Collards are the same sub-species as Scotch kale, but differ in being more tolerant of hot weather (it is often a bigger plant too, with … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2879,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[241],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leaf-veg","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/collards-2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2877"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2884,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2877\/revisions\/2884"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}