Need advice on collards in freezing weather

We are going to be away from home the next few days. The temps are supposed to drop to the low 20s on Friday night. We are going to harvest all the broccoli today to be safe, but does anyone know if the collards will be okay? Should we do anything special for them such as add mulch? I've never grown collards in MM before. Do plants handle cold any differently in a box of MM?

Should I harvest as many collard leaves as possible, or would it be better for the plants to leave the larger leaves on through the freezing weather? We may get a little freezing rain and snow as well.

Don't know if this is any help. Found it last night but was waiting to see if someone who actualy knew what a collard was would give you an answer. Anyway have a read. Collards

Hi, Mick -- I have a hunch it got lost, as everyone in the US was celebrating Thanksgiving yesterday, so weren't on their computers.

Collards are a leafy green, and the leaves are chopped and cooked with a smoked ham knuckle over a slow fire. It's a traditional meal in the southern US. (one I haven't ever learned to appreciate, even after living in the South most of my life!)

I didn't answer because I've never grown them...but your link looks like Ander's collards will be just fine through the frost.

Sorry about the late reply, Mick. As LaFee said, we were enroute to spend Thanksgiving with our daughter in Texas.

That article was very informative. Thanks for the link. It said that collards should be harvested before winter and preserved, so without protection I don't think they last through temps that drop very low. I think mine should be okay, but I probably will harvest them all before a forecast of temps that are any lower. I wondered if growing them in MM makes them any more or less susceptible to cold damage

I learned from that article is that collards are known as non-heading cabbage in some areas. Ward in Wake had a post about his non-heading cabbage, and I replied that I'd never heard of those. I had no idea I was already growing them in my garden, although after posting I did wonder what the difference would be between collards and non-heading cabbage. To me they look more like non-budding broccoli plants except the leaves are larger and more oval in shape.

As far as taste and texture, imagine cooking the tougher, dark green outer leaves of a cabbage plant. In fact, once I was in the grocery store and they were out of collard greens. A woman ahead of me looked at the empty bin, looked back at me and shook her head, then strolled on up to the cabbage bin. I stood in fascination and watched as she calmly stripped all the outer "throwaway" leaves from all the cabbage heads in the bins, placed them in a produce bag, and put it in her grocery cart. I think that lady really had a hankering for some collard greens.

Collards can handle a light freeze with no problem but I'm not sure about a hard freeze. Mine did fine last night and it got down to 30'F for me. Supposed to get as cold tonight, too. Hope this isn't completely too late to help.