collards

Collards_STF Website

Overview

Collards are a leafy green that grows throughout the entire growing season. They have large, oval shaped leaves that are smooth and veiny. Collards are rich in nutrients and are often cooked down as a hearty side dish for any meal. Collards can grow to be 2 - 3 feet tall and their leaves can be harvested at any size. Read on below to learn more about growing, harvesting, and cooking collards.


  • Level of Difficulty: Easy to Grow!

  • Plant Spacing: 18 - 24 inches

  • Days to Harvest: 75 - 80 days from transplant

  • Size at Maturity: 2 - 3 feet height, 1 - 1.5 feet spread

  • Plant Care Basics:

    • Sun - Full sun

    • Soil - Requires well-drained soil. Prefers deep, loose, fertile soil, high in organic matter, with pH 6.0 to 6.5.

    • Water - Daily watering - twice if the soil is dry.

Planting + Growing

Collards are easy to grow and will produce leaves throughout the entire growing season. Collard plants prefer full sun and should be spaced 18-24 inches apart. Water collards daily, and make sure the soils has good drainage.

Starting from Seed. If you're starting your collards plants from seed, make a row in the soil and plant your seeds about a half inch deep, with eight to ten seeds per foot. Your seeds should germinate between 5 - 10 days. When the plants are 4 - 6 inches tall, thin them so that they are 18 - 24 inches apart. Once your seedlings are growing, be sure to give them space, water, and plenty of sunlight.

Starting from Seedling. If you picked up a collard seedling from Sweet Water's seedling pick up, plant the seedling into soil, allowing 18 to 24 inches of spacing between each plant.

Container growing collards. Collards will grow in a 1-foot deep pot. Plant 1 plant in a container. In larger containers, like a garden bed, you can plant more than one collard, 18 - 24 inches apart from each other.

Other notes...companion plants. Garlic, onions, thyme, rosemary, mint, and sage.

Harvesting

Begin harvesting collards when the leaves are dark green and ~10 inches long. Depending on the weather, you will be able to harvest ~4 weeks after transplanting collard seedling.

To harvest, carefully break the entire leaf (including the entire stem) off of the trunk of the plant. Harvest the outer, larger leaves first to allow new leaves to grow. Rinse the leaves and cut the stem off. The stem can be juiced or composted and the rest of the leaves can be eaten as greens. Store the rest of the collard leaves in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.

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