Moses Smith Yellow Cabbage Collard

Heirloom collard from Moses Smith, and African American grower in Scotland Neck, North Carolina. Mr. Smith originally purchased this variety from a nursery in Franklin, Virginia but has stewarded it for many years since. This variety made its way from Mr. Smith to the USDA seed bank, Seed Savers Exchange, and eventually to the Heirloom Collard Project. Light green to blue green wavy leaves on green stems.

Amirah Mitchell of Sistah Seeds has ancestors from Scotland Neck, and worked with the Heirloom Collard Project to take this on as an ancestral variety, since her paternal grandmother's side of the family is from Scotland Neck as well, and she has collard loving people on all sides of the family. She'd make collards with her grandmother at gatherings. Hear more about her connection to this collard variety and collards in general on our Seeds and Their People podcast at minute 13:45: HERE.

Read more about it from the Heirloom Collard Project HERE.

Photo by Amirah Mitchell of Sistah Seeds.

Days to maturity: 75-80

Seeds per pack: 200

Germination rate: 88% on 11/18/2024

Planting / harvesting notes

Either start indoors or direct sow. Sow seeds 1/4" deep in potting soil 4-8 weeks before the last frost, and transplant when plants have three true leaves spaced at 1-2' apart, as early as just before the last frost. If we are growing them in the Fall, we either transplant as mentioned above or we directly sow our seeds 1/4" deep every few inches, and cover with hoops and plastic row covers. Regularly harvest these delicious leaves when young and tender!

Seed keeping notes

Isolate by 1/2 mile from other flowering members of B. oleracea, including Collards, Kale, Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Brussels Sprouts to avoid unwanted cross-pollination. Allow seed pods to turn brown and dry before seed harvest. Protect from birds.

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