Common name: collards

Botanical name: Brassica oleracea acephalo

Origin: Europe

Varieties

Georgia (75 days); Vates (75 days).

Description

A hardy biennial grown as an annual, the collard grows two to four feet tall and has tufts or rosettes of leaves growing on sturdy stems. Collard is a kind of kale, a primitive member of the cabbage family that does not form a head. The name collard is also given to young cabbage plants that are harvested before they have headed. Collards were England's main winter vegetable for centuries.

Where and when to grow

Like other members of the cole or cabbage family, collards are hardy and can tolerate low 20°F temperatures. They're also more tolerant of heat than some cole crops; they can take more heat than cabbage and more cold than cauliflower. In the South, get ahead of the warm weather by planting collards in February or March. In the North, you can get two crops by planting in early spring and again in July or August.

How to plant

Collards like fertile, well drained soil with a pH within the 6.5 to 7.5 range - this discourages disease and lets the plant make the most of the nutrients in the soil. Collards are usually grown from transplants planted four to six weeks before the average date of last frost, except where there is a long cool period; in this case you can sow seed directly in the garden in fall for a winter harvest. When you're preparing the soil for planting, work in a complete well-balanced fertilizer at the rate of one pound per 100 square feet or 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet. If you have sandy soil or your area is subject to heavy rains, you'll probably need to supplement the nitrogen content of the soil. Use about a pound of nitrogen fertilizer for a 10-foot row. If you're planting seeds, set them an inch deep and space them three inches apart. Thin them when they're big enough to lift by the true leaves. You can transplant the thinned seedlings. If you're planting transplants, they should be four to six weeks old with four or five true leaves. If the transplants are leggy or have crooked stems, plant them deeply (up to the first leaves) so that they won't grow to be top heavy. Plant the seedlings 12 inches apart in rows 18 to 24 inches apart.

Fertilizing and watering

Fertilize before planting and again at midseason, at the same rate as the rest of the garden. Water them regularly to keep the leaves from getting tough.

Special handling

If collard plants get too heavy you may need to stake them.

Pests

The cabbage family's traditional enemies are cutworms and caterpillars. Cutworms, cabbage loopers, and imported cabbage worms can all be controlled by spraying with bacillus thuringiensis, an organic product also known as Dipel or Thungicide. Generally, collards have fewer pest problems than other cole crops. They are one of the best and most prolific crops for the organic gardener.

Diseases

Collards have no serious disease problems.

When and how to harvest

Time from planting to harvest is 75 to 85 days from transplants, 85 to 95 days from seed. A 10-foot row should yield eight pounds or more of collard greens. Collards become sweeter if harvested after a frost, but you should harvest them before a hard freeze. In warmer areas, harvest the leaves from the bottom up before they get old and tough.

Storing and preserving