Michigan Tree Collard Seeds
| Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| 200 seeds MTCO_E-S-200 | $52.00 | Out of stock |
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Sold out for 2026. 'Michigan' tree collards adds to the ease and joy of growing of one of the most well known perennial vegetables. Unlike seakale and other hybrids with the tree collard plant, this particular cross is available as a cultivar from The Tree Collard Project and seeds direct from my plantings selected specifically for winter hardiness. The seeds allow you to create larger more robust populations able to withstand minus 20F and develop your own varieties suited for your location and flavor. Imagine growing a tree type brassica able to produce lots of delicious greens each year increasing in size and durability to drought and cold. This is the 'Michigan' variety and seed selection.
This selection was found as a chance seedling out of 400 plants grown from The Tree Collard Project in California. It was a rare find in that the minus 17 F winter destroyed all the exposed outdoor seedling plants except three. From these three plants, one had grown 5 ft. in one season. I made cuttings from this vigorous selection. Finally after several minus 20 F winters outdoors, this seedling was named and distributed. 'Michigan' also produces some seeds too and this could be an avenue to develop even more zone 5 hardy brassica varieties. This variety is exclusively available from The Tree Collard Project in San Francisco California. Oikos Tree Crops no longer produces the selection via cuttings.
Seedlings from this group have since been further selected for winter hardiness and long life. This seed packet includes those individuals have been fully outside in unprotected locations where snow, freezing rain and cold Michigan winter weather has had zero effect on the plants for the last 15 years. During this time there was several minus 20F days and one even went to minus 27F. During the coldest periods snow cover may have helped in this respect along with the extremely hard stems which are impervious to even deer.
The seeds provide an avenue to develop your own variety selecting for both vigor, large leaves and tall tree like growth. Flowers usually set an abundance of seeds to allow to improve on your tree brassica. The Ecos selection seeds are the hardiest on the market. Time tested in Michigan of all places. Not a place you would normally think of a southern favorite as a perennial vegetable.
Free shipping on this packet if ordered alone or with other free shipping seed packets.
| Plant Specs | |
| Genus & Species | Brassica hybrid |
| Seed Source | Michigan Seedling Selection |
| Hardiness | Has taken minus 27 F once but with snow cover. Withstands minus 10 F several times in our polyhouses and outdoors over the course of a decade. |
| Height (ft) | 5-10 ft. with equal width. Has not been tested enough to see what the actual size will be. |
| Pollination Requirements | Not a great seed producer but will produce if cross pollinated. Has not been fertile if isolated for me. |
| Soil | Does best in moisture retentive soil but fully tolerant of sandy and sandy loam soils. |
| Climate | Does best in a cool climates but tolerant from zones 4-10. |
| Ease of Cultivation | One of the easiest greens to grow, collards should be on the menu for everyone as the flavor is more appealing than kale for many people. The main issue is with cabbage butterfly and deer. I use neem as a repellant and insecticide for the larvae of cabbage butterfly and use Deer Off from Menards to prevent hungry deer. They love all things brassica. The plants are highly vigorous but are sensitive to drought often wilting in the summer heat if not irrigated regularly. The plants may loose their vigor in drought but quickly respond to rain or irrigation and then put on new flushes of growth. This is the joy of the tree collards. They taste good and grow quickly. |