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Collards growing in a garden
Annual vegetable

Collards plant profile

Brassica oleracea var. acephala

An annual vegetable for full sun.

Last updated .

When to plant

When to plant Collards

  1. Start seeds indoors

    8 weeks before your last spring frost

  2. Transplant outdoors

    2 weeks before your last spring frost

  3. Direct sow

    3 weeks before your last spring frost

  4. Fall planting

    13 weeks before your first fall frost

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sun
Planting depth
0.25 in
Soil pH
6 to 6.5
Lifecycle
Annual
Spacing
6 to 18 in apart, rows 18 in
Days to maturity
60 to 80 days (from sowing)

Common problems

Watch for these

Also watch for: diamondback moth, harlequin bugs, fusarium yellows.

By hardiness zone

Collards by zone

Planting dates for a typical location in each zone:

Browse 15 zone guides
Zone 3aZone 3bZone 4aZone 4bZone 5aZone 5bZone 6aZone 6bZone 7aZone 7bZone 8aZone 8bZone 9aZone 9bZone 10a

Evidence trail

Evidence behind this profile

Original extension and institutional publications behind the planting, care, and safety facts on this page.

  1. Collards (HGIC 1307)

    Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center. Supports days to maturity (direct), plant and row spacing (direct), planting depth (direct), soil pH (direct), and common problems (direct). Checked 2026-06-11.

  2. Vegetable Growing Guides: Collards

    Cornell University Home Gardening. Supports indoor seed-starting timing (direct), outdoor transplant timing (derived), direct-sowing timing (direct), fall direct-sowing timing (normalized), and sun requirement (direct). Checked 2026-06-11.