Michigan Tree Collards

Sold out but Available from Project Tree Collards, California. Tree collards are a joy to grow. 'Michigan' tree collards adds to this ease and joy of one of the most well known perennial vegetables.  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.

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. 

These selections have one thing in common: extreme root hardiness and woody older stems that resist extreme cold temperatures. The plants will sprout from below the ground and develop a tree type physiology with thick stems on the older portions of the plants as they mature into their third and fourth years. So far our 'Michigan' plants are now over 10 years old. Some parts of them sometimes die back to the ground only to resprout from the root or crown. Seeds of this selection will be included with your order for you to experiment with and develop your own varieties. The seedlings from this strain are more resistant to cold than the original seed source as it is hybridized with other hardy brassicas in my collection.

To Root the Cuttings:   Cuttings can be stuck into a normal peat moss perlite mixture. Cuttings do not need additional rooting compounds to root. When you get your cuttings, they can be refrigerated  until you are ready for rooting. They come in a lightly moist paper towel. This method of storage is for only short periods of time. 

20 Seeds Included of Outdoor Selections: Minus 20 F hardy. To germinate the seeds: treat like other brassicas, plant after danger of frost and lightly cover the seeds. Keep moist. Seeds will sprout within 7-14 days. Using a wider spacing between the seedlings is a good idea to allow for the plants to develop as much caliper as possible to evaluate hardiness. 

Package includes 5 unrooted cuttings and a package of seeds from my outdoor plants that have taken minus 27F once. Purchasing this selection means you have also purchased the right to clonally reproduce it without restrictions.  If sold in the nursery trade, then "As developed by Kenneth Asmus of Oikos Tree Crops" must be within the text of the description.

Comes with 5 cuttings and 20 seeds. Cuttings can be cut two or three times to make up to 15 plants. Seeds have a 90% germination rate. 

Includes 5 cuttings to be grown as the "Michigan" Variety  and 20 seeds to further develop outdoor hardy selections.  The outdoor selections are seedlings from tree collard plants that have so far made it outside past 5 years of age. This is the seeds you are getting.