Collard Greens

[cliff_the_gardener]

In America the cooks go on about collard greens.  From what I can gather they are like a non heading cabbage but you harvest like Kale.
Anyone had any experience of Collards?  Have been given some seed of a variety called Vates.  The distructions sasy to sow late summer - but thats for America - any suggestions?
Cheers
Clifford

[cliff_the_gardener]

[redimp]

This year I will be growing Cabbage, Offenham 3 Wintergreen courtesy of http://www.homegardenseeds.co.uk/acatalog/Pointed_Cabbage.html.  This is a loose leafed Collard which can be harvested through winter.  Hard to find.

[cliff_the_gardener]

Offenham does make a head though, pointed type - like Hispi.
From what I understand this is loose leaf - like spring greens.  Looks like a cabbage, just doesn't get there
These are the American planting instructions from stokeseeds.com

COLLARDS fresh market garden "greens"

CULTURE: Sow thinly @ 5 seeds per in./26 mm; 1/4 in./6 mm deep - every week from June 1st. till Aug., for a continuous supply of leaf greens. Collards look like cabbage, but do not head, and are similar to kale, but are taller growing with smooth leaves. Leaves are harvested like swiss chard, on a cut and come basis. Sow in rows 2 ft./61 cm. apart. Leaves are harvested when plants are about 2 ft./61 cm. high. Collards will withstand heat much more than other members of the cole family. Seeds produce mature plants in 75 - 80 days. Early cuttings are used in salads. Late fall frosts improve mild cabbage flavour. Harvest until the snow flies. Keep well watered through dry periods. Eat raw leaves in salads, or cook in water till tender for 10 -15 min



They grow Collards a lot in Southern US because they are more drought tolerant than cabbage.  Once of the reasons for giving them a go

[redimp]

Apologies - as opposed to cabbage, Offenham 3 is a Colewort.

Seeds by Size (http://www.seeds-by-size.co.uk/f-1veg98.htm) sell Collard Seeds (Champion)

Have just been on e-seeds and searched Collard and it threw up Collard - Wintergreen - it only forms a very loose pointy head.  Any way http://www.eseeds.com/ has other besides Wintergreen.

[cliff_the_gardener]

Cheers Redclanger,
I guess I will be sowing a few when I do my  early kale and agin in July for the winter crop.

[redimp]

My first winter was a hungry one.  I have learnt and have three different types of Kale, Savoy, the Colewort, swede and parsnip in addition to my leeks.  Hoping it might suffice. :)

[MollyBloom]

I brought back a packet of collard seeds a few years ago from a visit to Jefferson's garden in Virginia (lovely place, dry as a bone but SO productive). They grew OK but I found the end result was nothing to write home about. Our native curly kale performs much better and tastes nicer, IMHO.

[MollyBloom]

Sorry, I forgot to say that I sowed them in pots under glass in April and planted them out when 3" high. You could probably harvest them like kale, but I harvested all mine in one go (they didn't thrive well and looked too spindly for cut-&-come-again use). I had friends over for an American style dinner and served the collards as grits-&-greens with butter on top (also got the grits in the USA - have never found anywhere selling it in the UK).

[angle shades]

my variety is called Georgia Southern the picture on the front is loose stems tied with string ,  pkt says its heat and cold tolerant ,plant after last frost. pkt also says
its a container variety.my seeds are from North Carolina where spring temps are
as varied as this county, so i'm going to wait a bit before i plant./angle shades x