It is not commonly eaten among the British, which is why they might use the word for something else. Kale is commonly eaten on the European continent, especially as you go further east where lettuce is harder to grow due to the severity of the climate. Although they are considered different species, there are no genetic barriers to crossing them. Kale is a more salady vegetable, often used as a winter salad green that is available over a longer season than lettuce. Regular Collards are Brassica oleifera var acephala. In the UK, people tend to refer to what everybody else in the world calls Collards as Kale. If you've heard of Walking Stick Kale, this isn't it. A Morsel of History and Culture Some people call them Tree Kale or Walking Stick Kale or Tree Cabbage. More about this later when I create a detailed post about cultivation and propagation. Even with two feet of that pole in the ground, there are times that the upper 8' will not support a very large and very top heavy three-year old tree when the ground gets soaked and/or the wind gets really strong. Pruning the main trunk is dependent on whether you have it growing next to a very tall wall or whether like most growers, you have it tied to a ten foot tree pole. The main trunk will continue to have very large leaves until you have to prune it at ten or more feet. Also, as the plant matures and gets woody, the leaves get smaller on the many side branches. PLEASE REMEMBER - The trunk and branches get woody after about three years, so if you want to share cuttings, you must start to make new cuttings between 18 months to 2 years when the top branches are still tender and green (not woody). I've grown plants up to 11' tall and 3' wide & recently heard of them getting to 18' plus next to and attached to a wall. Once you have some mature plants, please do your part in making new plants and passing them on. If you and/or your family, friends, neighbors eat lots of greens, it's worth it to have at least three tree collards growing for abundant, continuous harvests. Here are some of the locations where the TCs are thriving that I've shipped to: Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Louisiana, Southern California, Oregon, Washington and of course California. And it's one of the favorite foods for our chickens. High in Calcium!! Sweeter and Tastier than regular collards (especially during the Fall, Winter, Spring when the whether is cooler and the leaves turn purple). acephala These perennial veggies are great for the backyard organic vegetable gardener or mini farm as they never stop producing. Whatever you choose to call me, culinary-wise, I can't be beat." This California Hybrid can withstand even light snow (Oregon) as well as temps in the 90s & 100 (here in Walnut Creek, CA). My leaves only turn purple in cold weather!! I'm in the Brassica family & look more like a collard than a kale. Call me what you will, but make sure to grow me for at least a year, make some cuttings and pass me on as I do not grow true from seed and I RARELY go to seed. " "I've been called Tree Collard, Tree Kale, Walking Stick Kale and Purple Tree Collard. For now, I will just post what I've already posted on numerous Garden Forums around the Web until I find the time to elucidate and edit at length. I'm currently compiling my 20 years or so of growing Tree Collards and hope to have all aspects of it's propagation, cultivation and food preparation up soon. Welcome to the Perennial Tree Collard Blog. The TC has put a spell on me! (See Michael Pollen's "Botany of Desire.") Everything you never knew you wanted to know about Tree Collards My love affair with TCs has motivated me to send plants to six states. I'm excited to provide one of the first online overviews of all aspects of cultivation, propagation and preparation. After 20 years of growing them, I'm still amazed at their multi-dimensional nature. Tree Collards are one of the most amazing and interesting perennial veggies I've ever grown. Does anyone have any experience growing these in Australia and/or know where we can get some cuttings? A quick search and I know I want them too. I'm sitting here eating my breakfast of bacon, eggs, home grown fried tom and nopales (plant is covered in succulent tangy new pads at the moment) reading an email from Peggy, an American friend in Australia, who is telling me how much she misses Tree Collards. Posted by Lissa on Augat 8:21am in Questions and answers: exploring the field togeth
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