How to grow collard greens indoors: a step-by-step guide

If your plans include growing collard greens, then you have every chance to do it. At the same time, the process is quite simple and helps to get an excellent result. The plant is very stable, grows well, and is not affected by cabbage worms. Read more about how to grow collard plants indoors in this article.

Features of the collard greens plant

Before proceeding to the study of the question of how to grow collard green indoors, it makes sense to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the plant itself.

The height of the collard greens varies from 2 to 3 pounds. The width can be up to 2 square feet. Collard greens prefer to grow in cool or temperate climates.

Even if you plant the collard plant in a warm climate, it will grow well. The main thing is that emergency high temperatures are not observed.

The temperature should be between 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Collard greens prefer to grow in good light during the day. The pH should be 6.5-7. The crop is annual, so harvesting is carried out only in the first year.

It is recommended to start growing in the room 1-1.5 months before the onset of the last frost.

Varieties of collard plants suitable for cultivation

First, you need to decide which collard green varieties are grown indoors. It is best to opt for several varieties, including Old Time Blue, Champion, Ellen Felton Dark, Georgia, and Morris Heading.

‘Champion’ collard greens have a pleasant taste and excellent harvest. You can also choose for yourself the optimal varieties that you like to taste. You can also plant several different varieties at once for a varied harvest.

Time to grow collard greens

If you plan to harvest in the summer, then you need to plant the crop in the spring. If you plant collard greens in the summer, you harvest them in the fall.

As already mentioned, you need to start work 1-1.5 months before the last frost in the spring. The optimal period is the end of March or the beginning of April.

How long to wait before harvest?

On average, from the moment of planting the collard seeds to harvesting, 2-2.5 months should pass. However, you need to understand that you should also focus on various factors, including the condition of the potting soil, the level of lighting, the climate of the region, and your growing skills.

Experienced gardeners manage to get an excellent collard green harvest within 60 days from the date of sowing the seeds. Newcomers have to wait at least 80 days.

Don’t be discouraged if the deadline is a little longer than you expected. After all, in the end, you will be able to harvest.

Optimal climate for growing collard greens

Grow collard greens are recommended in temperate and cool regions. Even if you live in a warm climate, there are no problems if you take care of optimal conditions. If this is not done, it will take much longer to grow.

If you live in a warm region, it is better to plant collard greens in early spring. Due to this, the plants initially be in cool conditions.

Collard greens prefer to grow at 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit. However, deviation from the norm is allowed if it is not too extreme.

What do you need for growing collard greens?

If you plan to grow collard greens indoors, you should prepare certain equipment, namely:

• bed for growing;
• containers for flowers;
• collard green seeds;
• nutritional components. They can be made independently using organic matter;
• soil;
• slime fence;
• capacity for irrigation;
• shovel for gardening;
• a device that measures the pH of the soil;
• lime for the garden and compost as needed.

What crop can be harvested?

You can only collect 1 head of collard green from each bush. If you grow the crop correctly, the size of the heads can be quite large.

Reasons to have collard greens at home

Some gardeners are reluctant for growing collard greens indoors due to a lack of savings and too much effort. However, there are several reasons for growing a plant at home.

Firstly, this is the best option for those for whom gardening is a hobby.

With the help of such an exciting process, you can overcome stress. Especially if you work in an office and want to relax a little when you get home.

Therefore, you can be sure that the psyche returns to normal. After all, gardening helps to escape from everyday things.

If you have your collard greens at home, you do not have to run around the shops to find them. At the same time, collard greens are sold in stores, which are processed with harmful chemicals, so it is not the best option for consumption.

How to grow collard greens the right way?

When growing collard greens, you need to follow certain rules.

Selection of the optimal place

As you know, it is important to choose the right place for planting collard greens.

Sun or shadow?

Collard greens prefer to grow in temperate and cool regions. However, the sun will still be needed.

If you have the opportunity, try to provide the culture with good lighting. In this case, the harvest will be good, even if the planting is done in semi-shady places.

Soil Requirements

Leafy greens are recommended to be grown on fertile soil, the pH of which is 6.5-7. Therefore, the pH of the soil must be correctly determined. Buy a mixture for planting in trusted stores, where they show you exactly the right indicators.

If it was possible to acquire only acidic soil, then the pH values can be increased by adding garden lime.

If you have any doubts that the soil has the correct pH, then it is better to test the soil to correct everything after.

You can add a small amount of compost or natural fertilizers. This saturates the soil with nutrients. You should also make sure that the soil is loose and well-drained. A lot of water should not accumulate inside, because the roots can rot.

The required amount of space

Collard greens bushes are quite impressive, so you should prepare enough space. It is recommended to leave about 4 square feet for each plant. These are the minimum settings and should be increased if possible. The more space left for the collard greens, the better they will develop, and give the best result.

Planting seeds

As soon as a place for growing is selected, you can proceed to the planting itself.

Choice: seeds or seedlings

First, you need to understand what exactly collard greens will be grown from. You can buy ready-made seedlings, or plant collard green seeds from which you will have to make seedlings yourself.

It is more expedient to opt for the purchase of collard green seeds. After all, this way you can fully enjoy the process from start to finish. You should not refuse the opportunity to learn how to grow seedlings. There is nothing difficult in this.

Which collard green seeds to choose: your own or store-bought?

You need to collect collard greens seeds from flowers. If you first decided to grow collard greens, then you can not get your collard greens seeds. Therefore, it is advisable to buy them in a specialized store.

If you have previously been engaged in the production of collard greens, you can use the collected seeds. However, store-bought germination rates will be much higher.

Proper planting of collard greens seeds

As soon as the collard green seed is ready, you can start planting them. If you will be planting it indoors, as mentioned, spring is the best time.

Thanks to this, you can harvest collard greens much earlier. In this case, plants will have protection from the most adverse factors.

First, you need to prepare the bed, and fill it with the purchased soil. After that, cabbage seeds will be placed in them. Leave 4 inches between the seeds so that the bushes can grow in the future and develop correctly.

The more seeds you put into the soil, the more likely you are to get good seedlings. Some seeds may rot inside the soil, so they won’t germinate. On average, from 10 seeds planted, only 5 will sprout. If you stick to this ratio, you will get a good harvest.

Once the seeds are placed in the soil, they will need to be covered by 1 inch of soil. Next, the bed is watered. If you want to harvest in the fall, then spring sowing indoors will be inappropriate. Therefore, you can easily start planting collard green on open ground.

How soon will the first seedlings appear?

Within a week after sowing, you can notice the first shoots. Even if it didn’t happen, don’t be discouraged. You will most likely have to wait a little longer. The more soil there is above the seeds, the longer it takes them to germinate to reach the soil surface.

In a month everything will be back to normal, and you can observe how the collard greens develop. If there are not enough seedlings for you, you can sow additional seeds.

Care rules

For collard greens to give a good harvest, you need to properly care for them.

Initially, watering is required infrequently. As it grows, the intensity of watering should be more. However, you need to take into account the climate of your region. If the weather is cool, watering should not be plentiful. In hot weather, more water is required.

Checking the watering period is quite simple. It is recommended to look at the leaf plates of the bushes. If they hang down, then the plants need moisture. You can make a small indentation near the bushes to check the soil moisture. Over time, you will learn to rely on your intuition.

Watering collard greens is recommended in the early morning. However, indoors there is no difference.

Therefore, you can pour water at lunchtime or in the evenings when you have free time.

For safety reasons, it is recommended to use organic fertilizers rather than chemical components. After all, purchased fertilizers can harm the environment. You can make your organic varieties, or you can buy them from a gardening supply store.

If possible, collect nettles and place them in a bucket filled with water. Wait a few days and remove the greens. You will get an effective natural fertilizer. It needs to be injected regularly.

FAQ

When growing collard greens, you may encounter various issues.

Results

As you can see, growing collard greens indoors is not difficult. The main thing is to know the basic principles of work and stick to them.

Read More About How to Grow Collard Greens in Containers