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Florida Ultracross Collards
  • Florida Ultracross Collards
  • Florida Ultracross Collards
  • Florida Ultracross Collards
  • Florida Ultracross Collards
  • Florida Ultracross Collards
  • Florida Ultracross Collards
  • Florida Ultracross Collards
  • Florida Ultracross Collards
  • Florida Ultracross Collards
  • Florida Ultracross Collards
  • Florida Ultracross Collards
  • Florida Ultracross Collards
  • Florida Ultracross Collards
  • Florida Ultracross Collards
Florida Ultracross Collards

Brassica oleracea
$4.50
Description

This is a unique, super diverse landrace you won't find anywhere else!! This is a north Florida saved version of the original Ultracross, and you can read the full story below. Collards don't often set seed this far south, as we don't have cold enough weather long enough, to trigger flowering and then seed development. If we do get a cold enough winter then sometimes its just too late into the spring when they are going to seed and the aphids make seed saving a near impossible nightmare. But the past few seasons we've kept our eye out for gardens growing the Ultracross, where plants went to seed. We've collected from a few different sources but the most bulk of which we're offering here, comes from UF's Field and Fork farm and the Alachua County Farm to School garden. You can choose which one you want if you have a preference!

At UF, three different varieties were cross-pollinating: Alabama Blue, Green Glaze and Flash.

At Farm to School, the original North Carolina Ultracross of 21 species was grown and all that survived were saved.

Here's the full story of the Collard Ultracross...

In 2020 The Utopian Seed Project (TUSP, Asheville, NC) along with 8 other trial sites (including us here with our pals at University of Florida Field & Fork) grew 20 collard varieties as part of a nationwide collard trial for The Heirloom Collard Project. TUSP also grew "Lottie" Collard, bringing the heirloom total to 21. During the winter of 2020 the collards survived lows of 8 degrees F and in spring/summer 2021 seeds were saved from the surviving plants. Given the obligate outcrossing nature of Brassica oleracea, we're certain of a high degree of inter-variety cross pollination. These seeds represent massive genetic diversity, firstly because the original heirloom collards are genetically diverse, and secondly because they've cross pollinated with each other. Collard grower and Heirloom Collard participant, Melony Edwards, described them as an "ultracross" this is not a technical term, but captures the spirit of these collards!

Since this NC cross, seeds have successfully been saved further south in Georgia by Sean Dunlap and then even closer to our home in Archer, Florida by Jesse Wilson (Working Food's Youth Education Director!). While collards don't readily go to seed this far south, if it's cold enough (and perhaps the genetics diverse enough!) they will.
Product details
  • 100 seeds
  • 60-75 days to harvest
  • Seeds grown in Working Food gardens at Giving Garden, Duval Community Garden in Gainesville, Florida as well as from the homestead of Jesse and Chris Wilson in Archer, Florida
How to grow

Collards do best in cooler weather, although many varieties can easily handle the warm spells typical of Florida winters. Some collards have been known to continue growing (although much less vigorously) into the spring and even summer, if protected from afternoon sun, and kept well-mulched and watered. In North Florida, you can plant anytime from August through February.

Direct sow or transplant seedlings ¼ inch deep or less, with plants spaced about 12–18 inches apart. Collards are hungry crops but also can subsist on less, but will grow lush, in fertile, healthy soil. Add compost or other organic fertilizers as needed, keep the soil covered with a thick layer of leafy mulch, and water regularly during extended dry periods.

Collards can be harvested leaf-by-leaf throughout the season. Pick the larger outer leaves while leaving the younger leaves growing in the center, and the plant can continue producing for quite a long time. Some varieties can also be harvested as a whole plant and may re-grow after cutting.

If you eat a lot of collards, consider succession planting—starting new seeds or transplants several times throughout the growing season. This keeps a steady supply of young, productive plants coming along as older plants begin to slow down.
How to save seeds

Sadly, we don't often see collards going to seed in our climate. It seems to be a rare occasion and by the time they do, they are infested with the emergence of spring time aphids. Collards are a biennial crop, which means they need two seasons of growth and a true dormant winter period in order to trigger seed development.

However, in our subtropical climate, collards will produce seeds during winters that are unusually cold, with extended periods in the 50F range. Some winters we have that, and collards can be successfully grown for seeds, and that's how we are slowly building our Florida-grown seed supply. Very mild winters with little extended cold, will be less likely to support collard flowering and seeding.

Brassicas within the same species can cross-pollinate if they are flowering at the same time. Brassica oleracea is a diverse group of vegetables to which collards belong, and if you are growing more than one type and they flower at the same time, they will most certainly cross (for example with broccoli!). This is only a concern if you are attempting to preserve a specific variety.

For long-term seed saving, we recommend having at least 20 plants flowering when you collect seed. More is even better! When growing specifically for seed, we often grow 80–200+ plants to maintain a broad and healthy gene pool.

If growing that many plants isn't practical for your garden, don't worry! You can simply let a few plants flower and provide a valuable food source for bees and other pollinators, then cut them back once they're finished flowering.

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