Since so many have asked, I saved some tree collard seeds this year. These are not ideal seeds to me in the sense that they are from plants that tend to bolt, while the really interesting thing about tree collards is they tend to bolt infrequently. Others have been selecting toward plants that do go to seed, so to each their own. I would prefer to wait for my named variety, the robust, handsome, large, purple leaved Peasant King to eventually decide to flower (it tried once a few years ago), but again, popular demand…

The original seeds came from my friend Sophia Bates and were given to her by a woman from a traditonal farmstead she stayed at in Montenegro. She says they grow these all over the place in spots where nothing else is grown and use them as a staple food, eating them almost daily.

I planted a bunch of them, observed for a few years and selected one plant that stood out, which became Peasant King. A few others looked okay and were saved out, but ended up having a tendency to bolt. This seed is from 4 different plants. While I would prefer to plant seed from varieties hesitant to bolt, I would be very surprised if a percentage of these will inherit the reluctance to flower. They could also be crossed with other brassicas, as my land mates frequently let broccolli and cabbage go to flower. I hope to have some Peasant King seed in the future whenever they decide to flower, but they will be crossed with a more frequently flowering variety. I also plan to make pre rooted Peasant King plants available. I’m working on it…

This plant is not super hardy. It can take freezes and frost, but not very low. It is widely grown on the west coast and down through the south.

1/2 teaspoon of seeds, which is quite a lot.