Collard Greens Care

Water regularly, applying 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week if it doesn't rain enough to equal that amount.

The goal is for the plant to produce fewer medium to large leaves rather than a lot of smaller leaves, for ease of harvesting and marketing. In our experience, pruning the plants just above a node, to 2 feet high the first year of pruning, 2.5 feet high the second year, and 3 feet high the third year, gives the best yields over time. Even if the first-year plant is not much over 2 feet or even under 2 feet, it is best to prune it back, so that it does not grow too fast and produce too rapid tall weaker growth the second year. Be sure to cut at an angle into green wood, so that the plant will let water flow off the cut easily. Prune out thin, weak, woody, bent or twisted stems. Leave the 3 to 4 healthiest and strongest stems that are “evenly radial” leaders (more or less evenly spaced around the stem) and remove the others. If there are no strong stems, go back 2 to 3 months later, prune off the smaller shoots, and leave 3 to 4 strong, evenly radial stems. Leave any leaves on the remaining plant stems, but remove any small branches. Be sure the pruned stems are tied securely to their stakes with string in a figure-eight loop.

Just before planting, scatter a complete garden fertilizer such as 10-10-10 over the area you will plant. Use 2 or 3 pounds for each 100 square feet, or about 1 cup for each 10 feet of row. Use a rake to mix the fertilizer 3 to 4 inches into the soil.

Light. Collard greens prefer to grow in full sun but will tolerate some shade. A shady location may slow bolting in warmer climates.

Plant in fertile soil because collards should grow fast to produce tender leaves. They need fertile, well-drained soil with a soil pH of 6.5 to 6.8 to discourage clubroot disease.

Collards prefer cooler growing temperatures, between 55–75°F (13–24°C), optimum being 60–70°F (16–21°C), but will produce good crops under warmer, summer conditions.

For optimal growth, the container should be 12 inches deep and large enough to hold approximately one gallon of soil for each plant. Your container may be glazed ceramic, plastic or terra cotta, but it must have drainage holes or your greens will suffer root rot.

But the superfood is hiding a nasty secret: dangerous levels of heavy metals. In a recent study, molecular biologist Ernie Hubbard found that kale—along with cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and collard greens—is a hyper-accumulator of heavy metals like thallium and cesium. Collards are the oldest leafy green within the. cabbage family. They were grown by the ancient Greeks. and Romans.2.

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