SARE » Products » The Northeast Crop Production and Harvest Manual » Collards

The Northeast Crop Production and Harvest Manual

Collards

Northeast SARE
Jean-Paul Courtens | 2025

SARE products

Harvest

Disclaimer
Check with your certifier or the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) that any products mentioned here are included in the OMRI list of approved products, as the list of approved products changes annually. Also, follow all label instructions carefully when using any product. Mention of a product does not imply endorsement by USDA, the SARE program, or the author. Exclusion does not imply a negative evaluation.

YieldAn average of 0.7 marketable bunches per row foot. Higher yields are possible by taking multiple pickings from each plant.
StandardsHarvesting1
40–60 bunches per person, per hour
Tools and supplies neededKnives and large boxes and rubber bands or twist ties (customer preference may influence this) if you’re making bunches.
1Harvest rates don't include the time required to transport crops from the field to a wash and pack shed or storage facility.

Ready-to-harvest and quality indicators

  • The leaves are 15–18 inches tall, with bottom leaves that are large enough to make a bunch out of 5–6 leaves.

Harvest procedures

  • Wash hands and sanitize knives before harvesting.
  • Harvest in the morning hours to avoid field heat accumulation.
  • Grab a bunch of the biggest leaves near the stem of the plant and snap off the leaves.
  • Don’t use the dark green leaves. Leave the smaller leaves at the top of the plant and remove any dead or yellow leaves on the bottom.
  • If making bunches, snap off 5–6 leaves, twist the twist tie around the stems and twist the bunch to tighten the twist tie or use a rubber band.
  • Put 15 bunches or 80 loose leaves in a large box.

Washing and storage procedures

  • Wash hands and rinse boots before entering the wash-and-pack shed, and cover up field clothes with a bib. If a long-sleeve shirt contains soil, remove this as well.
  • Add a sanitizer to the wash water. Use the guide How to Wash Produce Using a Peracetic Acid Solution to establish how much hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid solution to add to water.
  • Wash collards at least twice in clean tubs. The last dunking can be used to hydrocool the product by adding ice to the water or having it pre-cooled.
  • Leave bunches in water until the core of the stems are properly cooled down.
  • Pack in sealed boxes or line the boxes with a plastic liner to avoid having the product lose moisture during longer storage.

Additional resources

Packing and storage summary for collards

Cleaning in the fieldRemove dead and yellow leaves
Packing in the field24 bunches containing 5–6 leaves each in a 1 ¾-bushel harvest box, or 90 loose leaves for a CSA in a 1 ⅓-bushel plastic harvest box.
Packing for delivery16 bunches in 1 ⅑ waxed boxes or 24 bunches in 1 ¾ waxed boxes for wholesale.
See the International Federation for Produce Standards for the correct PLU code. Add the prefix 9 for organic crops.
For CSA delivery, use any preferred packing method.
StorageAt 32°–41°and 95–100% humidity. Pack with ice in closed containers or bags for storage that lasts longer than a day. Collards are sensitive to ethylene exposure. Allow for good air exchange and don’t store with crops that release ethylene.

This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.