Brassica oleracea viridis Collards PFAF Plant Database

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Brassica oleracea viridis - L.

Common Name

Collards

Family

Brassicaceae or Cruciferae

Synonyms

Known Hazards

None known

Habitats

Not known in the wild.

Range

A cultivated form of B. oleracea.

Edibility Rating

Medicinal Rating

Care

Summary

Physical Characteristics

Brassica oleracea viridis is a BIENNIAL/PERENNIAL growing to 0.9 m (3ft).
It is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to August, and the seeds ripen from Jul to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.The plant is self-fertile.

Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats
Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers; Leaves; Stem.
Edible Uses:

Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 16, 46]. A strong cabbage flavour, they are delicious if used when fairly young though they can become tough with age[K]. The leaves are usually available from autumn to late spring, and can be harvested all through the winter in all but the very coldest of seasons[K]. Young flowering shoots - raw or cooked. Picked before the flowers open, they are fairly tender and can be used as part of a mixed salad. When cooked, they have a delicious flavour similar to sprouting broccoli[K].

Medicinal Uses
Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally. None known

Other Uses
None known

Cultivation details

A very easily grown plant, succeeding in full sun in a well-drained fertile preferably alkaline soil[16, 200]. Prefers a heavy soil[16]. Succeeds in any reasonable soil[37]. Shade tolerant, growing well on a north border[37]. Succeeds in maritime gardens[200]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.2 to 8.3. A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -15°c[200]. It also tolerates high summer temperatures[200]. Often cultivated for its edible leaves, collards are especially useful for providing leaves throughout the winter and spring, it is very cold tolerant. There are several named forms[183, 200] but this vegetable has fallen out of favour somewhat since it is considered be coarser than other vegetables that can be imported from warmer areas in the winter.

Propagation

Seed - sow in a seedbed outdoors in April/May. Plant out into their permanent positions in the summer as space permits. Do not let the seedlings get overcrowded or they will soon become leggy and will not make such good plants. If your seedlings do get leggy, it is possible to plant them rather deeper into the soil - the buried stems will soon form roots and the plant will be better supported. The perennial forms can be increased by cuttings. These can be taken at almost any time that they are available. Use shoots about 8cm long of the current year's growth and place them in individual pots in the cuttings frame. They root very quickly and easily[K].

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Expert comment

Author
L.

Botanical References
200

Links / References

[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[2]Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.

Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[16]Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook.

A good guide to growing vegetables in temperate areas, not entirely organic.

[37]Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant.

Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.

An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.

Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.

Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers comment

Elizabeth H.
Ken	Tue Mar 21 2006

were can l buy collard seeds from in the u/k please or can l buy them from you,

PJ C.
	Dec 19 2010 12:00AM

The photo shown looks different to what we call Collards in the US, though ours is Brassica oleracea v. Acephala (non-heading type). The photo shown above is what we would call Cabbage. One of my favorite green vegetables, with a long bearing season and a good amount of cold-hardiness. Seems to do well even on marginal soils, though Cabbage moths/worms can be a problem in general.

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