How to Grow Big Collards

Choose your planting times. For summer harvest, plant the seeds in the early spring, three weeks before the last frost. For fall or early winter harvest, sow the seeds midsummer about 10 weeks before the first frost.

Select a garden area receiving full sunlight. At the very least, collards need at least five hours of direct sunlight daily or their leaves flavor and size suffer.

Tilling the soil improves drainage. Spread a 1-inch layer of compost over the soil. The compost adds nitrogen to the soil aiding collard growth. Set the tiller blades to a depth of 12 to 15 inches.

Sow the seeds into the ground at a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Cover each seed with loose soil and sprinkle them with water. Space the seeds 6 inches apart. Keep the collard rows at least 36 inches apart allowing for large growth.

Thin the collards to one plant every 18 inches once the seedlings reach 4 inches tall. Remove any weak or sickly plants.

Apply a ½-inch mulch layer once the collards are 6 inches tall. The mulch helps retain soil moisture and control weed growth.

Pull any weeds sprouting in the garden. Weeds compete with the collards for moisture and soil nutrients. Remove them as soon as you see them.

Keep the soil moist. Water the collards between 1 and 1-1/2 inches during weeks of no rain.

Begin harvesting the collard leaves once they reach a length of 10 inches. Frequently picking leaves frequently often results in more production from each plant. Final harvest of most collards from planting time is typically between 60 to 73 days, depending on variety.