I got my first purple tree collard cuttings this spring and haven’t harvested from them so that they could focus on growing. When preparing the cuttings for planting, I tasted the leaves I had removed. While the purple tree collards look very similar to the Taunton Deane perennial kale, the leaves were sweeter and the stem was more tender. While I sometimes chew on the Taunton Deane stems, the tree collard stems are juicy and entirely consumable.
This summer I staked the largest one with a tree branch and that worked fine until our autumn winds came and flattened it all. I am avoiding the fungicidal properties that the ‘eco friendly’ treatments contain because I’m trying to build my soil’s fungal profile. After a few weeks of online searches, I bought entirely untreated stakes.
Today I found satisfaction in staking my largest tree collard during a work screen break. I’m hoping that since the plant grew crooked after only a few weeks in a reclining position, that it will quickly grow upright again.
Riotflower's Realm 