Varieties
Collards: Blue Max, Champion, Flash, Georgia Southern, Vates
Kale: Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch, Dwarf Blue Curled Vates, Green Curled, Nero di Toscano, Rebor, Red Russian
Soil Preferences
Deep, well-drained, fertile, fine to medium textured soils with pH 6.0 - 7.5; will tolerate heavy soils with good drainage.
Optimum Growing Conditions
Monthly average temperature 60-65°F, won't tolerate monthly mean temperatures much above 70°F.
Establishment Methods
| Planting Method | Direct seeded |
|---|---|
| Optimum Time | Spring - seed zone temperature >50°F Fall - seed zone temperature <100°F |
| Seeding rate | 0.5-1.5 lbs/acre |
| Approx seed/oz | 9,000 |
| Seeding depth | 0.25" |
| Seedling spacing | 1-2" in-row on 38-40" raised beds |
Fertility/Fertilization
Rates presented as actual lbs/acre N2, P2o5, and K2o (base actual rates applied on soil test results).| Generalized rate: 80 - 90 - 90 lb/acre | |
| N* | 60-100; 1/2 applied pre-plant with the remainder at thinning |
|---|---|
| P | 80-100; banded 2" below seed at planting |
| K | 80-100; applied with first nitrogen application, normally only required in East Texas |
Water/Irrigation
12 - 14" uniformly available throughout growing season.Pest Management
Collards/Kale Diseases and Common Name of Fungicidal Controls
| DISEASE | FUNGICIDE* | OMRI LISTED FUNGICIDE** |
|---|---|---|
| Alternaria | streptomyces lydicus, copper hydroxide, neem oil, | |
| Black rot | acibenzolar-s-methyl, copper sulfate, | Bacillus subtillus, copper hydroxide, cuprous oxide, |
| Downy mildew | acibenzolar-s-methyl, copper sulfate, dimethomorph, fenamidone, fosetyl-Al, mandpropamid, mefenoxam, potassium phosphite, pyraclostrobin, | Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus subtillus, copper hydroxide, cuprous oxide, extract of Reynoutria sachalinensis, hydrogen dioxide, neem oil, potassium bicarbonate, streptomyces lydicus, |
| Nematode | 1,3-dichloropropene, chloropicrin, metam-potassium, metam-sodium, sesame oil, | azadirachtin, |
Collards/Kale Insect Pests and Common Name of Insecticidal Controls
| INSECT | INSECTICIDE* | OMRI LISTED INSECTICIDE** |
|---|---|---|
| Aphid | Azadirachtin, Pyrethrins | |
| Armyworm | Azadirachtin, Bacillus thuringiensis | |
| Beetle | Azadirachtin, Pyrethrins | |
| Looper | Azadirachtin, Bacillus thuringiensis , Pyrethrins | |
| Mite | Azadirachtin |
Weeds and Common Name of Herbicidal Controls
| WEED | HERBICIDE* | OMRI LISTED HERBICIDE** |
|---|---|---|
| Preplant incorporated | DCPA, bensulide (except turnip greens), trifluralin | Corn gluten meal |
| Preemergence (prior to spear emergence) | DCPA | |
| Postemergence | carfentrazone, sethoxydim, glyphosate, pelargonic acid, clethodim, clopyralid | d-limonene, clove oil, cinnamon and clove oil |
* The above is a partial listing of controls intended as examples. Some labels may have been revoked since the publication of this guide. Refer to product labels for specifics and use accordingly. Ensure that products with one of the listed active ingredients is registered for the crop it is to be used on. Failure to do the above may result in crop injury, death and/or citation for law violation. Humans, animals and the environment may also be adversely affected by misuse.
** As stated in §205.206 of the National Organic Standards, pest management decisions should follow a hierarchical approach, which should be defined in a farm's organic systems plan. Please ensure that you have followed the appropriate steps and any product to be used in certified organic production systems has been approved by your certifying agent.
Harvest
| Days after planting | Collards - 70-80 Kale - 60-90 |
|---|---|
| Normal method | Hand or machine harvested |
| Containers | Fresh market - baskets Processing - bulk wagon |
| Grades | U.S. No. 1 - similar type, free from defects |
| Packaging/Handling | Bushel baskets, crates, cartons containing 24 1 lb packs/bunches Cartons/wire-bound crates containing 30-35 lbs |
| Anticipated yield/acre | 5-6 tons or 300-400 cartons |
Transit Conditions
32°F at 95% RH (generally top iced in transit); shelf-life 10-14 days (3 weeks if packed in poly lined cartons with crushed ice).Comments/Production Keys
- Collards and kale are both more cold and heat tolerant than other cole crops. Kale is the more tolerant of the two.
- Rapid cooling after harvest is a must for the prevention of wilting and maintenance of quality
- Collards are considered mature when a large rosette of leaves has developed in the crown of the plant
- When harvesting collards for fresh sales, the whole plant is normally cut with 4 wrapper leaves to protect the tender leaves
- Kale normally is packed in three ways:
- Whole plant
- 2-bunched leaves
- Stripped