When to Plant Collard Greens
Collard greens are a hardy cool-season vegetable. They can take a hard frost.
Start seeds indoors 7 to 9 weeks before the last spring frost, and plant out 1 to 4 weeks before the last frost. Or sow them where they will grow, 1 to 4 weeks before the last spring frost. For a fall crop, sow 8 to 12 weeks before the first fall frost. The first harvest comes about 60 to 80 days after sowing.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start seeds indoors | Jan 11 – 25 | Feb 11 – 25 | Mar 13 – 27 |
| Harden off | Feb 8 – 14 | Mar 11 – 17 | Apr 10 – 16 |
| Plant out | Feb 15 – Mar 8 | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | Apr 17 – May 8 |
| Harvest | Mar 12 – Jun 4 | Apr 12 – Jul 5 | May 12 – Aug 4 |
| Direct-sown: Sow outdoors | Feb 15 – Mar 8 | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | Apr 17 – May 8 |
| Direct-sown: Harvest | Apr 16 – Jul 9 | May 17 – Aug 9 | Jun 16 – Sep 8 |
| Fall: Sow outdoors | Aug 23 – Sep 20 | Aug 2 – 30 | Jul 8 – Aug 5 |
| Fall: Harvest | Oct 22 – Jan 14 | Oct 1 – Dec 24 | Sep 6 – Nov 29 |
Growing collard greens
Collards tolerate both heat and frost better than most greens; harvest bottom leaves through the season.
- Spacing: 18 in apart, in rows 30 in apart. In a raised bed, 1 per sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 60 to 80 from sowing, then about 12 weeks of picking.
- Rotation: collard greens are in the cabbage family. Plant them where nothing from that family grew in the last two years. See crop rotation.
- Traditional companions: beet, bush bean, cabbage, calendula, celery, chamomile (german), chives, cucumber, edamame, fava bean, garlic, green onion, head lettuce, leaf lettuce, leek, mint, mustard greens, nasturtium, onion (bulb), potato, radish, romaine lettuce, rosemary, sage, shallot, spinach, swiss chard, thyme. See companion plants for collard greens.
- Usually kept apart from: cherry tomato, strawberry, tomato.
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant collard greens and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
When do I start collard greens indoors?
7 to 9 weeks before the last spring frost: with a last frost of April 15, that's Feb 11 – 25. Enter your ZIP code above for your own dates.
Can collard greens go in before the last frost?
Yes. Collard greens are hardy: plant them out 1 to 4 weeks before the last spring frost.
How long do collard greens take to grow?
About 60 to 80 days from sowing to the first harvest, which then lasts about 12 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
Can I grow collard greens in fall?
Yes. Sow 8 to 12 weeks before the first fall frost. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech: Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant (426-331 / SPES-673P, 2025)
- University of Maryland Extension: Vegetable Planting Calendar for central Maryland
- NC State Extension: Extension Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16: Vegetable Gardening
- WSU Extension: Pacific Northwest Gardener's Handbook, Chapter 7: Vegetable Gardening
- Iowa State University Extension and Outreach: Vegetable Planting and Harvesting Times (chart, central Iowa)
- Iowa State: Early Spring Planting of Vegetables
- Iowa State: Growing Leafy Greens in Iowa
- Montana State University Extension: Can I Grow That Here? Vegetable Seed and Transplant Schedules (MontGuide MT199308AG, rev. 2018)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Small-Scale Gardening (square-foot planting guide)
- UC Master Gardener Program, UC ANR: Companion Planting Chart: Companion Planting for Edible Crops
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, Kenosha County: Companion Plants for the Vegetable Garden (column, 2012)
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Companion Planting (Food Hero, 2021)
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Herbs and Flowers in the Vegetable Garden
- Utah State University Extension, Utah 4-H: Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens: Companion Planting (2025)
- Penn State Extension: Herbs Make Good Plant Partners and Companions
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County: The Art of Companion Planting (Master Gardener presentation, 2023)
- UF/IFAS Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program: Companion Planting (FFL in a Minute, 2020)
- WSU Extension Skagit County Master Gardeners: Trap Cropping (2020)