Tree Collards

I first heard of Tree Collards on Growing Your Greens, an inspirational food gardening YouTube series. I saw the tall, graceful form and wondered, "hmm, could I grow these here?". The more easy-to-maintain perennial foodstuffs I can grow, the better!
Photo: Tree Collard, credit to Perennial Tree Collards blog.
From the Perennial Tree Collards blog, I found out that Tree Collards are a perennial shrub/tree grown in the sub-tropics & tropical highlands. We might get just a tad too cold here, but I'm hoping if I put it in a protected spot with a South/South-West exposure (or at least protect it from North winds) it just might work here. Folks are growing it all along the Southern US states, and in California as well. I've seen small snippets of back-history to the tree collard - how African Americans in the South passed these on from family to family - but haven't seen any more details yet; will keep researching. I love the stories of how plants travel...

Tree collards don't seem to bolt like other greens, rarely flowering and going to seed. The seeds also don't germinate "true", so any propagation will need to be through cuttings. Found a bit more information on how to grow & maintain tree collards from Richards Farm. I've ordered some cuttings through Bountiful Gardens (along with some Kakai pumpkins that make hull-less seeds), and look forward to trying these out.

1 comment:

  1. Please let me know if you find any more information on the connection between Tree Collards and African Americans. I am building an African American Heritage Garden in Florida and have been thinking about including Tree Collards, but am searching for more historical information on them.