Morris Heading Collard

Seed Count: Approx. 300 seeds

Days to Maturity: 75-85 Days

Description: Morris Heading Collard is a compact growing heirloom variety with broad, medium green to blue-green, waxy, tender leaves.  It produces heavy yields of juicy, nutritiously rich, crumpled, short stemmed leaves on loosely formed heads that develop late in the growing season.  Morris Heading collards have a delicious, smooth, mild, cabbage like flavor that is delicious steamed, boiled, stir fried, or even added raw into salads.  This collard variety grows about 2-3 ft. tall, is both cold and heat tolerant, and very slow to bolt.  Plus, its compact nature makes it a good candidate for smaller spaces.  

How To Grow

Sowing:  Sow seeds 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. Seeds need soil temperatures between 50-75 degrees F to germinate.  Sow 3 seeds every 18 inches, with rows 2 ft. apart.  Thin all but the strongest seedlings. This plant is ideal for raised beds, but can be grown in containers and grow bags if they are big enough.  I managed to successfully grow a 3 ft. plant in a 2 gallon container.  You can plant these in the spring, but they are best planted in the fall to harvest right after your first frost.  Collards do best in full sun, but can also be grown in partial shade.

Growing:  Collards need regular water and a good compost or fertilizer at least once a month. i feed mine fish emulsion once a month.  Companion plant with dill, rosemary, sage, thyme, chamomile, potatoes, celery, beets, onions, mint, and nasturtiums. They will over winter in most areas. In fact, collards are most tender and delicious after frost. The waxy leaf surface reduces cabbage worms. Use a row cover when transplanting, if needed.

Harvesting:  To harvest, cut the younger leaves, and avoid the older leaves for the best flavor. Harvest by cutting upper leaves (if you wish to keep an on going crop), otherwise harvest the entire plant. Dunk harvested leaves in cold water to wash, store at 32˚F. Collards are most tender and delicious after a frost, and you can continue to harvest even after snow. To save seeds, allow the plant to flower and go to seed. After the pods dry and the seeds inside are dark brown, remove them from the plant, and dry them completely indoors. Clean off as much chaff as possible, then store the seeds in a cool, dry place.  Store seeds for up to 5 years.