Looks like last year's collard plants are surviving winter in SE WI!

[Model35mech]

I have very little experience growing collard. I've made two attempts. The first failed badly (late planting), and the second seems to have survived all that this year's winter in SE Wisconsin has thrown at it.

It's been quite a mild winter by local standards, so I'd say this is something sort of 'flukey'. A week ago, the plants looked bad with sagging, downward pointing leaves. Today, the leaves on all of them are pointed up! I don't think that sort of response would happen to "dead" plants. They really do seem to have responded to recent February rain.

I'm going to keep an eye on them... if they make it into June, I think I'll beatify them, and look forward to a source of "hardy" seeds.

It wasn't as nearly as cold here as the rear end of a southbound polar bear in a typical February. But our mild winter was interrupted by a 21 inch snowfall that buried them for over a week, and it's in that timeframe when the overnight temps were hanging a bit below zero F.

[greenman3610]

1. Collards reach peak flavor

Only after they’ve been snowed on

[Model35mech]

2. I've read the same is true for brussel sprouts also a cabbage family plant

I haven't yet trimmed any leaves from these over-wintering plants, I'll probably do that in a few weeks if they look like they're still surviving. Currently they are deeper green than they were in October.

[codfisherman]

3. NC winters

I always let some of whatever brassicas are growing in the fall overwinter. Some make it, some don't. I love to see them flower and go to seed. The Vates collards I grow get pretty tough with any age, but that's mostly our heat I think. Tatsoi did well and tender all winter. I'm seeing cabbage moths already, treated with BT the other day.

[sybylla]

4. I am looking forward to seeing what's surviving this mild winter in my central WI gardens

I am very disappointed it's been so mild. I think we're going to be dealing with diseases and bugs like never before.

And probably more drought.

I really need to see a bright side or two here.

[Model35mech]

5. I'm afraid a hard frost is going to get the buds on my fruit trees

Pears and Plums already swollen

It's a long time until stable warm weather, and now seemingly routine outbreaks of Arctic Cold have blanked me on fruit for 2 of the last 3 winters.

[sybylla]

6. Same. We are trying to start an orchard.

We have lots of wild apples and crabs that are good fruiters for cider if nothing else.

Our new plantings aren't large enough to fruit yet.

Life is going to get ugly with no harvest to sell.