How to Grow Tree Collards
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Tree collards (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) — perennial or partial perennial, living several years.
Unlike an annual crop, the work here is front-loaded into establishment: get the planting and the site right and the same plants crop for several seasons.
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Tree Collard (Brassica oleracea var. acephala)
1 sources cited · Single source
Soil & Growing Conditions
Water: moderate, in rich fertile soil (Gardening Know How)
Growth Stages
| Stage | BBCH | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Propagation | 0 | Take 12-inch stem cuttings in spring, plant vertically with a third above the soil; rooting takes about six weeks (Gardening Know How). |
| Establishment | 3 | Full sun preferred, though partial shade produces more tender leaves; well-draining, nutrient-rich soil, moderate water (Gardening Know How). |
| Perennial growth | 3 | Develops a tall, woody stem up to 12ft over multiple years; prune every few months to the first leaf axil to prevent it becoming tall, spindly and leggy (Gardening Know How). |
| Leaf harvest | 8 | Harvest young leaves for sweetness year-round in mild climates, never taking more than a third of the foliage at once (Gardening Know How). |
Quick Facts
| Factor | Value |
|---|---|
| Soil texture | well-draining, nutrient-rich; tolerates heavy clay (Gardening Know How) |
| Drainage | well-drained |
| Lifecycle | perennial or partial perennial, living several years |
| Edible parts | leaves |
At a Glance
Harvest & Storage
When to pick: Harvest young leaves for their sweetness -- all foliage is edible, but older leaves need cooking. Never take more than a third of a plant's foliage at once. Leaves keep several days refrigerated (Gardening Know How).
Diseases
Pests
Tree Collard, Cutting to Woody Perennial
Plan your Tree Collards planting
Timing for Tree Collards follows soil temperature and frost, not the calendar date. The Global vegetable planting calendar explains the method. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.
Growing Tree Collard in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
Sources
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Hardiness USDA zones 5-11 (varies by variety); most varieties tolerate down to 30°F (-1°C), some down to 14°F (-10°C), some withstand triple-digit summer heat; thrives in high humidity but adapts to arid zones. Full sun preferred, but moderately shaded areas produce more tender, flavourful leaves. Soil: well-draining, nutrient-rich; tolerates heavy clay and acidic soils; lime application improves leaf taste. Height up to 12ft (3.66m), spread up to 5ft (1.5m) depending on variety. Planted in spring; propagated from stem cuttings, NOT seed -- 12-inch cuttings planted vertically with one third above soil, rooting in about six weeks. Perennial or partial perennial, living several years; up to 20 years in mild climates, several years with protection in colder regions. Moderate water needs in rich soil; little supplemental feeding needed in fertile soil, manure side-dressing for poor soils, annual calcium supplement (oyster or eggshell powder) recommended. Harvest young leaves for sweetness (all foliage edible), never taking more than a third of the foliage at once; young leaves eaten raw, older leaves cooked; keeps several days refrigerated. PESTS: cabbage looper larvae (hand-remove or apply Bacillus thuringiensis), mice and rabbits feeding on lower leaves. DISEASES: root rot possible in heavy soils with poor drainage. Left unpruned, becomes tall, spindly and leggy with few leaves -- prune every few months to the first leaf axil for bushier growth. Container-grown plants should be repotted yearly or biennially and staked.
These source is specific to this region. The full list of 1 sources behind this guide (Gardening Know How) is in the references of our UK guide to tree collards; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What problems affect tree collards?
Our data links 1 disease and 1 pest to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.
Plan next season before the problems start
This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.
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How this guide is put together
The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against international horticultural research and extension sources. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.
Related Problem Guides
Last verified 2026-08-29
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Where To Go From Here
Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.
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Plan the next step
Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.