Collards Growing Guide

Large, leafy, and nutritious collard greens are an easy-to-grow staple in many Southern gardens. Although uncommon among Northern gardeners, who mostly grow kale, Collard is gaining popularity in many parts of the US. This cold-hardy green is a fall and winter crop. Collards produce more leaves per plant than other greens in your fall garden. Their dark green leaves are a flavorful addition to various dishes—whether added to soups and salads or simmered with salt pork.

Read this Collards growing guide to learn when and how to plant, care for, harvest, and store this green, flavorful vegetable.

Collards: A Brief Overview

Collard greens, a staple in Southern American cooking, are a prehistoric vegetable first grown by Romans. They are from the Brassica family, the same plant family as cabbage, kale, cauliflower, and broccoli.

The name "collard" comes from the word "colewort," which means leafy cabbage. Unlike cabbage, collards don't form a head but instead grow large, dark, leafy greens. These leaves are rich in vitamins A, C, and K, calcium, fibers, and antioxidants.

As a cold-hardy vegetable, collards can be planted in spring or fall, with most growth occurring in the summer. Some varieties can survive freezing temperatures as low as 15 Fahrenheit.

Collards can be planted in a garden plot, raised beds, or containers. They are biennials, which means they can grow for two years and return in the spring to produce flowers and seeds. However, they are usually grown as annuals and are an excellent addition to any home garden.

Collards Plants Varieties

Collards can be grouped into two main types according to their growth habits: loose-leaf and heading varieties. Loose-leaf collards have open, spreading leaves and are great if you want a continuous harvest. On the other hand, heading collards are compact plants with loose heads. This variety is suitable for gardeners who want to harvest the entire plant at once.

Here are some popular collard varieties that are ideal for your garden as well as your kitchen:

Vates: An heirloom variety best for planting in the fall. This compact plant has smooth leaves and takes about 75 days to mature. It's an excellent choice for colder climates.
Champion: A hybrid version of Vates, this variety has darker, cabbage-like leaves and is more resistant to bolting. It matures in about 60 days and is perfect for smaller gardens and containers.
Georgia Southern: An heirloom, heat-tolerant variety with long, slightly ruffled leaves. It matures in 75 days and is slow to bolt.
Top Bunch 2.0: A hybrid variety with oblong and slightly crinkled leaves. It matures in about 60 days and is a good choice if you want a quick harvest.
Morris Heading: A blue-green heirloom with rounded leaves that can form a loose head in the center, like cabbage. It grows well in warmer climates.
Flash: A hybrid variety with smooth, paddle-shaped leaves. It is very fast growing and matures in about 55 days.

Collards Plants Growing Conditions

After choosing the best collard variety according to your space and climate, the next step is to select the plantation site in your garden and prepare it for planting collards.

Plantation Site

When choosing a site to plant collards, look for an area with plenty of sunlight. Like all vegetables, collards grow best in full sun but can tolerate partial shade. These greens need at least 5 to 6 hours of sunlight daily to develop their full flavor. If you're planting collards in warmer climates or late summer, provide some afternoon shade to protect them from sun damage. They grow well in raised beds, containers, or in-ground gardens.

Soil Preparation

Like other leafy vegetables, collards grow well in fertile, nitrogen-rich soil with a pH of 6.5 to 6.8. They prefer well-drained, loamy soil but do well in sandy soil if it's rich in organic matter. Before planting, add 2-3 inches of aged compost or other soil amendments to improve your soil fertility. The nutrient-rich soil will help collards to grow quickly and produce tender leaves.

Spacing Requirements

You should also know the spacing requirement between two collard plants. Like other members of the Brassica family, collards are large, open plants that need plenty of space to spread.

Space plants about 18 to 24 inches apart in rows, with each row spaced around 2 to 3 feet apart. The proper spacing will provide enough air circulation and help prevent clubroot disease.

When to Plant Collards

Collards are cool season crops that grow well in USDA Hardiness zones 6 to 10. The best time to plant collards depends on when you want to harvest them.

Spring Planting: Start indoors about 6-8 weeks before the last expected frost or direct seed outdoors 2-4 weeks before the last frost. For an extended harvest, you can succession plant every two weeks.

Fall Planting: For fall or winter harvests, plant collard seeds in mid-to-late summer, at least 10 weeks before the first expected frost.

Collards are frost-tolerant and can withstand temperatures down to 15°F.

In warmer climates (USDA hardiness zone 8 or above), the best time to plant collards is in the fall, so they mature in winter. If planted in summer, they will bolt or flower too soon. Interestingly, collards taste sweeter after a light frost and can even grow in the snow. On cold nights, cover your collard plants with a floating row cover.

Gardeners in colder climates can plant collards in early spring to harvest them in late spring or early summer.

How to Plant Collards

There are two ways to plant collards: they can be directly seeded in the garden or started indoors and transplanted. Transplants are more successful in the spring because of the cool soil temperature.

How to Grow Collards Indoors

For a spring or summer harvest, start your collard seeds indoors for about 4 to 6 weeks before you plan to transplant them in the garden.

Use seed trays or soil blocks and sow two seeds in each cell, about 1/4 inch deep.
Once the seeds sprout, thin them to one plant per cell. Instead of pulling the extra seedling, snip it off to avoid disturbing the roots of the remaining plant.
Collard seeds germinate best at around 75°F. A warm place works best until they sprout. After they sprout, a cool windowsill is good.
When the seedlings grow at least one set of leaves, they're ready to be transplanted outside.
When it's time to transplant, gradually expose the seedlings to the outdoors for a few hours each day to help them adjust.
Transplant them in loose, fertile soil about 18 inches apart.

How to Grow Collards Outdoors

Many gardeners prefer to plant collard seeds directly outdoors in late summer when nights start to cool down.

Sow collard seeds in small groups of 3 to 4, about 1/2 inch deep.
Space each group about 15 inches apart with 2 feet of space between rows.
Water thoroughly after planting to help seeds settle and promote germination.
Once the seeds sprout and grow about 3-4 inches tall, thin them. Leave the strongest seedling spaced 18-24 inches apart. You can use the removed collard greens in cooking or salads.

How to Grow Collard Greens in Containers

If you have a balcony or limited space, you can still grow collard greens in containers or pots. Since a collard plant can spread up to 18 inches, choose a container that is big enough. You can select a single 12-inch container for one plant or a 24-inch container for two collard plants. Make sure the container has good drainage. Fill it with high-quality and well-drained potting soil.

Caring for Collard Plants

Whether you decide to grow collards from direct seeds or transplants, indoors, outdoors, or in containers, here are some caring instructions.

Watering

Collards need consistent moisture, especially in dry spells. The greens will wilt if exposed to warm temperatures and dry soil. While frequent watering can encourage shallow roots. Be sure to supply about 1 to 1.5 inches of water weekly.

Drip irrigation is a good option for supplying water directly to the roots and conserving moisture. If you're watering using the usual overhead watering methods, use our lightweight watering nozzle and water at the base of plants to keep the leaves dry. After irrigating, you can monitor the soil moisture with your finger 6 inches down.

Fertilizing

Collard greens grow quickly and produce plenty of fresh, tender leaves, so regular feeding is important. Start with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer when you plant collard seeds. Throughout the growing season, use a water-soluble nitrogen fertilizer once a week to encourage healthy leaf growth. Alternatively, you can use composted manure as a side dressing to keep the plants growing well between harvests.

Mulching

Add a 2–3-inch layer of organic mulch, such as finely ground leaves, compost, or weed-free hay, around collard plants. Mulch between plants when they're young. As the collards grow, they shade out the weeds. However, mulch helps maintain soil moisture and reduce weeding.

When and How to Harvest Collards

This last step is about reaping the fruits of your hard work. So, when are your collard greens ready to harvest?

Collards are ready to harvest when their tender, dark-green leaves are about 8 to 10 inches long. You can use a knife, pruners, or scissors to cut the leaves.

Start by picking the larger, lower leaves and keep the smaller, younger leaves continue growing. You can also eat thinned leaves, so don't discard them.

Keep harvesting until a hard freeze kills the plant. If you want to harvest the entire plant, cut it about 4 inches from the ground, and new leaves will grow from the stem.

The good thing is that collards provide months of harvesting, especially succession planting. Even gardeners in the North can enjoy longer harvests of delicious greens. Always wash the leaves before using them in the kitchen.

How to Store Collard Leaves

You can store leaves in a porous plastic bag in the refrigerator for a short time. If you want to store them for a long time, cut the leaves, blanch them, and freeze them.

Common Pest and Diseases in Collards

Like all vegetables, collard greens are prone to pests, diseases, and other issues. Here are some problems you might encounter when growing collards.

Cabbage Worms: These green caterpillars chew large holes in leaves. Hand pick, use row covers, or apply Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) as an organic control.

Cabbage Moths and Butterflies: These insects have white or gray wings with black spots that can leave large holes or even skeletonize the collard leaves. To avoid these pests, use netting to prevent egg-laying, remove caterpillars by hand, or use natural insect repellants.

Aphids: Small, sap-sucking insects that cause leaves to curl and yellow.

Clubroot: Fungal disease that deforms roots and leads to stunted growth. How to prevent it? Adjust soil pH to above 7.0 and avoid planting collards in the same location year after year.

Black Rot: Causes V-shaped yellow lesions on leaves, and collard plants may wilt and die. To avoid it, remove infected plants and practice crop rotation.

Downy Mildew: A fungal disease-causing yellow spots and white patches on leaves that can eventually turn brown and dry out. How to protect your plants from this disease? Avoid overhead watering and ensure good air circulation.

The Bottom Line

If you were looking to learn how to grow collard greens in your garden, we hope this growing guide has been helpful to you. No matter if you're living in North or South America, growing collards is an easy and rewarding addition to your garden and kitchen. Choose either loose-leaf variety or heading variety, select the best location, prepare the soil, sow the seeds, provide the right care through fertilizing, watering, and mulching, and enjoy fresh leaves throughout the growing season.