How to Care for a Collard Green Plant

Collard greens, or tree cabbage, produce large edible leaves atop tall stalks. The plants can survive light frosts, making them a suitable spring or fall crop. Plant collards outside in late winter or early spring to enjoy the greens in early summer, or plant at midsummer for a late fall or early winter green. The leaves are used as a cooked green, similar to kale or mustard greens. With proper care, collards produce an ample crop for immediate use or for freezing and storing for later.

Straw mulch
Floating row covers

Instructions

- 1
  Water collards deeply when the top inch of soil begins to feel dry. The plants require approximately 1 inch of irrigation or rain per week. Water less frequently during cool weather because the soil retains moisture longer, and increase watering as the soil warms and dries out more quickly.
- 2
  Spread a 2-inch layer of straw mulch over the bed and around the base of the collard plants. Mulch insulates the soil, reduces weed growth and prevents soil drying.
- 3
  Cover collards with floating row covers if insects pose a problem in your area. The row covers allows air circulation and moisture penetration while excluding the pests from the garden bed. Remove the covers once the plants are mature and producing harvestable leaves.
- 4
  Pick the large outer leaves when the collard plants are 10 to 12 inches tall, leaving the smaller inner leaves to continue growing and producing future crops. Alternatively, harvest the entire plant when it grows 6 to 10 inches tall.
- 5
  Increase the depth of the mulch layer to 4 inches around fall collard crops. Applying a thicker mulch layer after the first fall frost protects the roots so the plants can produce for a longer period into the winter.

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