This is the earliest maturing collard we know of. Start harvesting just 50 days after direct sowing, and the tall, upright plants just keep growing. At maturity the leaves can measure over 60cm from stem to tip, and they are held pointing upward, away from the soil. The petioles are long and substantial for easy bunching, and the plants are highly uniform in size and shape. The bluish green leaves of Top Bunch collards are just slightly savoyed, thick, with large cell walls. Once cooked, the flavour is rich and savory – very nice in soup or simply steamed on its own. Use succession planting from spring to the height of summer for a constant supply of thick, nutritious greens.
How To Grow, Timing: Direct sow in early spring to mid-summer for summer to winter harvests. Or start indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost, and transplant out as soon as the soil warms up. Optimal soil temperature: 10-30°C. Seeds should germinate in 7-10 days.
How To Grow, Starting: Sow 3-4 seeds 5mm deep in each spot where a plant is to grow. Thin to the strongest plant. Space 45-60cm apart in rows 75-90cm apart.
How To Grow, Growing: Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8. Add lime to the bed 3 weeks prior to sowing. Kale likes well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter. This plant prefers plentiful, consistent moisture. Drought is tolerable, but quality and flavor of leaves can suffer. Mix ¼ cup of complete organic fertilizer into the soil beneath each transplant, or use 1 cup beneath every 3m of seed furrow.
How To Grow, Harvest: Kale and collards can both be grown as a cut and come again crop for salad mixes by direct-seeding and cutting when plants are 5-8cm tall. They will re-grow. Or pick leaves from the bottom up on mature plants as you need them. In spring, the surviving plants start to flower, so eat the delicious flowering steps and buds.
Matures in 50 days.
Approx: 60 Seeds
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