A delicious and versatile green to grow in your fall garden, collards can be prepared and eaten in a variety of ways. Use small, young leaves in salads for that sweet brassica flavor, or use large, mature leaves fresh in wraps as a tortilla substitute, or steamed or sauteed with some aromatic additions of your own for a delicious side dish.
Grows best planted in late summer/early fall as their flavor improves after a light frost, but also does well in early spring.
Matures 35-65 days after transplant.
Collards - Georgia Southern
Planting: space seedlings 18"-24" apart in full sun in well-draining soil rich in organic matter and nutrients (can be amended with compost and/or worm castings before planting)
Watering: keep soil evenly moist, but not waterlogged, to avoid stunting growth
Harvesting: harvest lower, outer leaves as needed by cutting them off of the plant with sharp scissors and inner leaves will continue to grow, or you can harvest the entire plant at once with a sharp knife by cutting all the leaves off the plant at ground level, but the plant will not regrow (to do this for young leaves, wait until they reach 6"-8" in height, for mature leaves wait until they reach 24"-36" in height)