These nutritious greens prefer full sunlight, well-draining, nutrient-dense soil, and generally mild conditions.
These greens are relatively easy to plant, as long as you choose the right time of year.
With protection, you’re free to harvest collard greens well into winter.
The Spruce / Autumn Wood
Cool weather sweetens most cooking greens and collard greens are no exception.
Selecting a Planting Site
When choosing a location to plant collard greens, sunlight is essential.
Spacing, Depth, and Support
Sow seed 1/4 to 1/2 inches deep.
The Spruce / Autumn Wood
Collards are large, open plants.
Support is not needed for collard greens.
A shady location may protect plants from sun scald in warmer climates.
The Spruce / Autumn Wood
Water
Keep the plants well-watered and harvest regularly to encourage the production of new leaves.
These plants require 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water weekly.
Using mulch will help retain soil moisture and keep the leaves clean.
The Spruce / K. Dave
For this reason, they are often planted early in the season or later, avoiding mid-summer harvest.
Collard greens can withstand light frost, but prolonged freezing temperatures will damage the plants.
To continue harvesting in cold areas, protect your collard greens with a hoop house or cold frame.
They thrive equally well in both humid and dry conditions, provided the soil is kept moist.
Traditional varieties, such as ‘Vates’ and ‘Georgia,’ form loose, open plants.
Loose heading varieties are good choices if you want to harvest the whole plant at once.
If you want a steady supply of leaves, opt for a loose-leaf variety.
Collard leaves are smooth and almost waxy, with pronounced veining.
Collards also tend to have a stronger and more bitter flavor than kale.
True to the cruciferous family, collard flowers have four yellow petals in the form of a cross.
The flowers are edible and have a sweet, cabbage-like flavor.
Harvest leaves while they are smooth and firm; young, tender leaves will be the least bitter.
It’s better to harvest as needed.
The key in of pot is not particularly important, as long as it has excellent drainage.
Pruning
Pruning collard greens is not necessary.
You may want to harvest outer leaves to eat as the plant grows.
At the end of its season, simply cut it down to the base or remove the plant.
To start indoors, use seed trays and plant seeds about 1/4 inch deep.
Keep the soil moist until germination, and transplant the seedlings once they have one set of true leaves.
Maintain a foot’s distance between each group, and another foot’s distance between rows.
Thin the seedlings to one per group once they’ve sprouted.
Whenever possible, use a control method such as horticultural oil or insecticidal soap.
Covering the plants with a floating row cover helps prevent white cabbage butterflies from laying eggs on the plants.
Common diseases includeblackleg, black rot, clubroot, and cabbage yellows.
The amount of time you grow your collard greens before harvesting is up to you.
However, during summer, collard greens will bolt, meaning they will produce flowers instead of leaves.
The best month to grow collard greens depends on temperatures in your area.
