Crop lessons · Brassicas (cabbage family)
Brassica oleracea (Acephala group; also given as var. viridis) · Brassicaceae (cabbage family)
Collards are a low-maintenance Southern staple for Florida's fall and winter gardens. They tolerate both cold and heat, though cool-season leaves taste better and a frost sweetens them. Pick the older outer leaves and never strip more than a third of the plant at once.1, 2
| Region | Months on the UF/IFAS calendar |
|---|---|
| North Florida | January transplant · February transplant · March transplant · April transplant · September transplant · October transplant · November transplant · December transplant |
| Central Florida | January transplant · February transplant · September transplant · October transplant · November transplant · December transplant |
| South Florida | January transplant · September transplant · October transplant · November transplant · December transplant |
Months follow UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, "What to plant by month"; "transplant with care" is their wording for crops that resent root disturbance. Not sure of your region? Find your county.
| How to start | transplant or seed (easily transplanted) |
|---|---|
| Seed depth (inches) | ¼ to ½ |
| Spacing in the row (inches) | 12 to 24 |
| Between rows (inches) | 24 |
| Days to harvest | 70 to 90 from seed; 50 to 70 from transplant |
SP 103 planting dates: north Feb to April and Sept to Nov, central Sept to Feb, south Sept to Jan. Gardening Solutions gives north Sept to April. Stagger plantings every couple of weeks for months of harvest.
| Sun | Full sun. |
|---|---|
| Soil pH | 5.8 to 6.3 (SP 103's general target for vegetable gardens on sandy soil; no change is needed anywhere from 5.5 to 7.0). No crop-specific figure was found. |
| Water | Likes moist soil. |
| Fertilizer | A complete fertilizer with a moderate amount of nitrogen; collards respond well to nitrogen. Compost and other organic amendments help. |
Established collards can take the summer heat. Hand-pull weeds.
Greens are usable about two months after planting. Pick the older outer leaves and let the center keep growing; leaves about 10 to 12 inches long are most tender. Store whole and unwashed in the refrigerator for a few days to a week, and wash in several changes of water before cooking.
well suited
SRAC 454 lists collard among the suitable crops for aquaponic systems, alongside Swiss chard, pak choi, Chinese cabbage and watercress.
Your county extension office and its Master Gardener volunteers can fill these in for your garden.
Every fact above is restated in our own words from these documents, written 2026-11-02. Independent of the University of Florida.