Gardening Edible Gardening Vegetable Gardening Collards By Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln Instagram Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on February 1, 2017 Share Tweet Pin Email Collards Overview Description A staple of bountiful Southern tables, this delightful green is usually "cooked down" with bacon or ham, sometimes by itself and sometimes with an assortment of other greens. It's also great to chop or shred and add to Southern-inspired soups, such as a ham-based or black-eyed pea soup. Plant plenty of collards because even an armload of these greens will cook down to just a few servings.Collards are closely related to cabbage. Collard stalks and leaves are tough and best eaten cooked. Tear the leaves off the stems and shred them by hand before sauteing them or adding them to soups or stews. For a summer crop, sow seeds four weeks before the last frost date. For a fall crop, sow three months before the first fall frost. Genus Name Brassica oleracea Acephala_ group Common Name Collards Plant Type Vegetable Light Part Sun, Sun Height 1 to 3 feet Width 18 to 36 inches Propagation Seed Harvest Tips Pick leaves as needed, harvesting the outer leaves first. Leave the central bud or growing point intact so the plant will continue to produce new leaves. Collards withstand moderate frosts, but a hard freeze may damage the leaves. At the end of the growing season you can harvest the whole plant at once. More varieties for Collards 'Champion' collards is a compact variety that is slow to bolt. It is ready to harvest in just 60 days after planting. more tips and tricks on edible gardening More Videos » Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit