Fri 2 Jan 2009
Grown all over the country for its succulent greens or leaves, this cabbage relative is most popular in the South, where it’s summer planted for fall and winter harvest. The mature plants are frost hardy and yield sweet leaves after cold weather has concentrated their sugars. Collards look like lanky,nonheading cabbages. The plants can reach 2 to 3 feet in height. Although collards bear a superficial resemblance to their close relative, kale, their flavor is distinctly unique.
How to plant
In areas with short, cool summers, plant seeds outdoors in late spring. Elsewhere, plant after midsummer. Sow seeds 1/2 inch deep and 1 inch apart. Thin to 18 to 24 inches apart; eat thinnings for greens.
Care
Keep the stems and leaves tender by watering and feeding frequently. The large leaves evaporate a lot of water, so soak the soil deeply. Feed every three to four weeks with a high-nitrogen fertilizer.
Harvesting
Don’t harvest the first six to eight leaves on the plants; let them develop to full size to sustain the plants. Clip off and cook younger leaves, including the stems, when they are about the size of your hand. If you harvest larger, older leaves, discard the stringy stems and test the leaf midrib for tenderness to see if it should be saved. Never harvest the central growing point or you will delay the production of new leaves until side shoots are formed.
In containers
Plants are large but will yield a continuous supply of greens in large tubs or deep boxes.
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