VegetableCollard
Georgia Southern Collards
Heirloom Collard
Georgia Southern Collards is a treasured heirloom from the 1800s that has earned its place in gardens for over a century. This vigorous, compact variety produces tender blue-green leaves with a slightly crumpled texture that become increasingly sweet and mild after a light frost. Growing 30 inches tall in a mounded form, it reaches harvest in just 75 to 80 days and thrives in hardiness zones 8 to 10. The plant's combination of cold and heat tolerance, slow bolting tendency, and productivity in tight spaces makes it exceptionally reliable for Southern gardeners and anyone seeking a no-fuss collard with genuine flavor.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
8-10
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam With Consistent Moisture
Preferred Temp60-75°F
Growth Stats
30 in
Height
30 in
Width
18 in
Spacing
75–80
Days to Harvest
PeriodPerennial
TypeForb/herb
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
8-10
Size
30in H x 30in W
Growth
Perennial
Care
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
This 1800s heirloom earned its staying power through sheer toughness and practicality. The plant grows smaller and sturdier than other collard varieties, making it surprisingly productive in containers or small garden plots, while its slow-to-bolt nature means you'll harvest for weeks rather than days. The leaves are huge and juicy, equally at home in a sauté pan or fresh salad, and their mild cabbage-like flavor deepens beautifully after exposure to cold weather.
Common Uses
These leaves shine sautéed with aromatics like garlic and onion, stewed until tender, or prepared in the traditional Southern manner with ham hock and seasonings. The large, juicy leaves also work beautifully in fresh salads where their mild cabbage-like flavor and tender texture are appreciated. The plant's high vitamin A, B1, B2, and C content makes it a nutritious choice for any preparation, and its slow-to-bolt habit allows extended harvesting of outer leaves throughout the growing season.
Growing Timeline
First Bloom
Late Spring (For Flowering If Not Harvested)
First Harvest
8-10 Weeks After Planting
Last Harvest
Throughout Winter In Mild Climates
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your average last frost date in soil temperature of at least 55°F, ideally 75 to 85°F. Germinate at 65 to 75°F. When seedlings reach 4 inches tall, they are ready to transplant.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings 4 to 6 weeks before your average last frost date, spacing plants 18 inches apart. Alternatively, in mild climates, sow in fall for a cool-season harvest 14 to 16 weeks before your average first fall frost.
Direct Sow
Direct sow 2 to 4 weeks before your average last frost date when soil temperature reaches at least 55°F, ideally 75 to 85°F. In mild climates, sow in fall for cool-season harvests.
Harvesting
Begin harvesting outer leaves once the plant is established, leaving the center intact to promote continued growth. The plant will reach full size around 75 to 80 days after seeding. Harvest the largest outer leaves regularly to encourage the production of tender new growth. The mild cabbage-like flavor improves noticeably after exposure to a light frost, making fall harvests particularly rewarding. The plant's slow-to-bolt habit means you can continue harvesting leaves over an extended period rather than all at once.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Brassica oleracea L.
Family
Brassicaceae
Genus
Brassica
Duration
Perennial
Growth Habit
Spreading
Native Status
L48 (I)PR (I)CAN (W)GL (W)
History & Origin
“Georgia Southern Collards traces its lineage back to the 1800s as a heritage American cultivar, developed and refined through generations of Southern gardeners who recognized its practical advantages. Unlike larger, rangier collard varieties, this heirloom was selected for its compact, sturdy growth habit and dependable productivity, making it invaluable to home gardeners with limited space. Its persistence in seed catalogs and regional gardens reflects both its agricultural merit and its deep roots in Southern foodways, where it became a dietary staple preserved through family seed saving and community sharing.”