Golden Gate Gardening, 30th Anniversary Edition by Pam Peirce

Author:Pam Peirce [Peirce, Pam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Collards

Plants started in late summer usually flower by February or March. Spring planted ones often flower in summer. For some, the appearance of small side shoots that will bear flowers marks the time to pull the plants out. But I have learned that the young shoots are a delicious vegetable. I keep them picked before the flower buds open and either steam them as I would the leaves or use them in ways that one uses broccoli raab or gai lan, or in stir-fries, curries, or omelets. The plants may look awful, but they keep bearing these tender shoots for months.

If you let seedpods form, shoot production will slow, but if seed forms, it is easy to save. You may need to put a mesh bag over the stems to keep birds from eating the seeds.

Varieties Almost any collard variety will do well here. Seeds given to me by another gardener, surprised me with an occasional purple-tinged plant. Most varieties grow 2 to 3 feet high, with seed stalks reaching about 5 feet high. A tall perennial type, commonly called tree collards, may grow to 10 feet or more. Usually grown from cuttings, tree collards can be planted in February and picked whenever it isn’t going to seed. Prune the stems in late summer. Many enjoy tree collards, but I found the leaves unpleasantly tough.

Pests Collards share all of the mustard-family pests (see this page).

Sources

Collard seed: Widely available

Tree collard seed: SIS

Tree collard plants: AA, TERR

Corn, Sweet and Popcorn

Zea mays

Grass Family ❖ Poaceae (Graminae)

Corn is a warm-season crop that produces consistently in all but the foggiest parts of the region. You can grow early varieties even in sunnier San Francisco neighborhoods. Where summer is too cool, corn may form tassels and silks at different times. If the male flowers in the tassels and the female flowers in the ears are not ready at the same time, there will be no fertilization and thus no corn. Very hot weather, above 95°F for an extended period, will slow the corn plant growth and may delay silk readiness for fertilization until pollen is gone. Once fertilization takes place, the ambient temperature doesn’t affect the sweetness of the corn.

Growing Instructions Corn expects the red-carpet treatment—sunshine, good rich soil, and ample water. Add plenty of compost or well-rotted manure at planting time and boost with high nitrogen fertilizer, especially if lower leaves begin to yellow. Corn that dries until leaves curl will be stunted.

Direct-seed corn anytime from April 15 to the middle of July. A foot between plants is the usual recommended distance. If corn varieties with standard-sized plants are spaced closer than 8 to 10 inches apart, they will bear fewer and poorly filled out ears. Ample spacing is especially important when fog limits the amount of light. Plant the seeds 1½ to 2 inches deep. I usually plant two kernels in each spot, spacing them 1 or 2 inches apart. When the plants are 3 or 4 inches high, I pull the extras or transplant them to fill gaps left by poor germination or pest damage.

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