How to Grow Collards From Seed

Collards are a hardy cool-season green that grow best at the cool ends of the year. Sow in early spring, two to four weeks before your last frost, once the soil hits about 45F, for a spring and early summer crop. Then sow again in mid to late summer, roughly 6 to 8 weeks before your first fall frost, for the sweetest harvest of all. In the South and other mild-winter regions, collards are a classic fall and winter crop that can stand in the garden right through the cold.

Collards are easy from seed and do not mind being direct-sown. Sow the small round seeds a quarter to half an inch deep in rich, well-drained soil in full sun, keep the bed evenly moist, and expect sprouts in 5 to 10 days. Thin or transplant seedlings to 18 to 24 inches apart so each plant can reach full size, and eat the thinnings as baby greens. You can also start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost and transplant them out once they have a few true leaves.

Collards are low-maintenance once established. Give them about an inch to an inch and a half of water a week to keep the leaves tender, and side-dress with a nitrogen feed every few weeks for fast, leafy growth. Watch for cabbage worms, aphids, and flea beetles, and use a lightweight row cover or a strong spray of water to keep them in check. In hot regions like Texas and the Deep South, grow collards mainly as a fall, winter, and early spring crop, since midsummer heat toughens the leaves; in cool-summer areas like the Pacific Northwest they can produce for much of the year.

Collards grow well beside plants that pull pests away and bring in helpful insects. These three make especially good neighbors, and you can add any of them in one click:

Start picking once the plant has several full-size leaves, usually around 60 to 75 days from sowing. Take the oldest, lowest leaves first by snapping them off near the stem, and always leave the central growing point and a few young leaves so the plant keeps going. Harvest a few leaves at a time, cut-and-come-again, and a single planting will feed you for months. For the best flavor, pick after the first light frosts of fall.

Collards are a Southern kitchen staple and a workhorse green. Slow-braise them with a little onion and stock for classic collard greens, add chopped leaves to soups, beans, and stir-fries, or use large raw leaves as a sturdy wrap in place of a tortilla. Strip out the tough central rib before cooking, and use frost-sweetened winter leaves for the mildest, sweetest flavor.

• Cabbage worms: velvety green caterpillars that chew large holes in the leaves. Pick them off by hand or use a lightweight row cover to keep the moths from laying eggs.
• Aphids: gray-green clusters tucked into leaf folds and shoots. Blast them off with water and let nearby flowers draw in ladybugs and lacewings.
• Flea beetles: tiny shot-holes peppered through young leaves. Cover seedlings with row cover early and interplant radishes as a trap crop.
• Tough, bitter leaves: usually summer heat. Grow collards in the cool ends of the season, harvest young, and save frost-sweetened leaves for the best flavor.