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A Jones for Greens |
For Seitu Jones, growing collard greens isn’t just plain old
gardening. It’s a tie to his family history, his people, his passion. Jones
knows a lot about raising collards, just look at the monsters growing on the
side and back of his urban property in St. Paul, Minn. You can’t help but
think how those meaty lookin’ leaves would taste on a plate with some hot sauce and vinegar.
Yet, for all he knows, Jones found out, after spending some time in
Texas with an elder statesman and master gardener, he didn’t know as much as
he thought.
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“Terry knew so much, and every time I was with him, I learned so
much,” said Jones. “At this point, I know there’s a lot I don’t know. I
just have my foot in the door.”
Still, you wouldn’t know it by looking at his garden. Spending time
in Jones’ garden gives one a sense of community. He exchanges seeds and
plants with neighbors and shares his crop of collards and other vegetables
and herbs with them, too. The Jones family loves to show off its culinary
skills, so the family entertains often.
Jones, a Harvard Loev Fellow, is more than happy to share his
knowledge about collards with gardeners. First and foremost, he says, you
must have patience. Then you need a lot of imagination.
“You have to see ahead, you need to visualize the way everything
will look in the long term,” Jones said. “Then you have to wait to carry it
out.”
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Of all the collards that are available, Jones grows mostly the
Georgia variety, which is tall with big leaves. Another favorite is the Blue
Max. Collards are hearty and can survive to 20 degrees, so you can grow them
practically anywhere. Frost never hurt no greens, Jones says.
Jones starts planting his seeds in composted manure when the ground
is warm. When the leaves look droopy, he waters right away. Collards are a
cold crop, so they can’t tolerate a lot a heat for a long time. Jones
doesn’t harvest his greens until late fall when temperatures drop
consistently below 20 degrees.
He has about 30 plants and each one reaps about three pounds of
greens. Jones saves the stalks each season and tries do something sculptural
with them. After all, Jones is an artist at heart. Growing greens is just his
passion.
There’s no reason to be intimidated, he says, “It’s nothin’ but
dirt.”
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