Collards

More about Collards

Syn. borecole, tree-cabbage, non-heading cabbage. H
Brassica oleracea Acephala Group
Collards are a cool season annual with large, succulent, ruffled, deep blue-green leaves that form a loose rosette like an open cabbage; no head is formed. It is easy to grow and hardy. Collards are both heat and cold tolerant, frost resistant and slow to bolt. Collards are easier to grow in warmer areas than cabbages. Like all brassica, the flavour is considered to be improved by frost. Grow it during the cool season to use as a nutritious, steamed, tender green with a delicious, mild cabbage flavour.
In temperate areas sow early spring and early autumn; in subtropical and tropical areas sow March - July. Collards germinate best between 13 - 23°C soil temperature. Sow seed 6 mm deep in seedling trays or garden bed. Seeds take 7 - 10 days to germinate. Transplant seedlings by first carefully removing the seed leaves and planting deeper, up to the first set of true leaves. Doing this speeds maturity and makes the plant more resistant to wind damage. Space the plants 25 - 30 cm apart, with 60 - 90 cm between rows. Collards like a rich, well-drained soil with a pH 6.5. Prepare the soil by digging well-rotted compost or animal manure through the bed. Keep the soil moist; add organic fertiliser when plants are half grown. Covering young seedlings with a cover such as Vege Net will protect them from White Cabbage butterflies.