How to Grow Collard Greens UK

By the SoilCommander Editorial Team, under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder · · How we check our facts

On this page
  1. Collard Greens (Brassica oleracea Acephala Group)
  2. When to Plant Collard Greens in the UK
  3. Quick Facts
  4. At a Glance
  5. Soil & Growing Conditions
  6. Growth Stages
  7. Harvest & Storage
  8. Diseases
  9. Pests
  10. Collard Greens, Leaf to Harvest
  11. Plan your Collard Greens planting
  12. Growing Collard Greens in another region
  13. References
  14. Frequently Asked Questions

In the UK, collard greens go in the ground early March to mid July.

Timing is the decision that matters most in the UK: sowing early March, and that same window applies across all 4 regions covered here.

The short answer

Plant
Early March to mid July
Biggest risk
Club root

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Collard Greens (Brassica oleracea Acephala Group)

A broad, smooth, unfrilled collard greens leaf — “Portuguese kale leaf (Brassica oleracea var. viridis) with water droplets, Ponte de Sor, Portugal (approx. GPS location) julesvernex2-3” by Jules Verne Times Two is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

2 sources cited · Verified

When to Plant Collard Greens in the UK

When to plant collard greens in the UK: in Southern England, sow early March to mid July. Find your area in the table below.

Region Sow
Southern England early March to mid July
Midlands early March to mid July
Northern England early March to mid July
Scotland early March to mid July
Southern England - detail & sources

NC State gives a two-window US pattern (early spring or midsummer) rather than UK-specific dates, so a spring-through-midsummer window spanning both is applied across all four sub-regions rather than inventing a north/south gradient the sources do not support.

Midlands - detail & sources

NC State gives a two-window US pattern (early spring or midsummer) rather than UK-specific dates, so a spring-through-midsummer window spanning both is applied across all four sub-regions rather than inventing a north/south gradient the sources do not support.

Northern England - detail & sources

NC State gives a two-window US pattern (early spring or midsummer) rather than UK-specific dates, so a spring-through-midsummer window spanning both is applied across all four sub-regions rather than inventing a north/south gradient the sources do not support.

Scotland - detail & sources

NC State gives a two-window US pattern (early spring or midsummer) rather than UK-specific dates, so a spring-through-midsummer window spanning both is applied across all four sub-regions rather than inventing a north/south gradient the sources do not support.

A page from the UK Vegetable Garden Planner PDF: the crop rotation planner, with a planning grid and four-bed rotation tips

Plan your collard greens — and the rest of the plot

This page covers collard greens. For every crop's sowing months on one chart, use the free UK vegetable planting calendar, and browse the UK vegetable growing guides for what else to grow alongside it. When you want the whole season on paper, the UK Vegetable Garden Planner is a printable PDF:

  • Twelve month-by-month sowing and harvest spreads
  • Raised bed, allotment and container layout pages for your own plot
  • A four-year crop rotation planner
  • Seed inventory, sowing log and harvest tracker
See inside the UK Vegetable Garden Planner →

Instant PDF download · reprint every season

Quick Facts

Factor Value
Soil texture well-drained, rich in organic matter; loam for best yields (NC State)
Drainage well-drained
Lifecycle biennial grown as an annual
Edible parts leaves

At a Glance

Brassica oleracea Aceph… Collard Greens Club root Black rot of brassicas Mealy cabbage aphid Cabbage caterpillars Flea beetles DISEASES PESTS

Soil & Growing Conditions

Water: moist but not saturated, especially during germination (NC State)

Growth Stages

Stage BBCH Notes
Sowing 0 Sow 1/2 to 3/4 inch deep in early spring or midsummer; keep the top 3/4 inch of soil moist but not saturated during germination (NC State).
Transplanting / thinning 3 Transplant or thin to spacing matching the intended harvest stage: 2-4in for young leaves, 10-15in for half-grown, 15-18in for full-grown plants (NC State).
Leaf growth 4 Cold-hardy and heat-tolerant, growing well across regions; needs ample nitrogen for deep green colour and tender growth (NC State, UMD Extension).
Harvest 8 Ready 60-80 days after sowing; harvest whole plants at any stage or pick individual leaves from mature plants -- flavour sweetens after frost (UMD Extension, NC State).

Harvest & Storage

When to pick: Ready 60-80 days after sowing (UMD Extension). Cut whole young plants (which regrow), half-grown or full-grown plants, or harvest tender leaves individually from a mature plant (NC State). Flavour turns sweeter after a few frosts.

Diseases

high_where_present

Plasmodiophora brassicae

Likely rather than confirmed: Collard Greens is the same Brassica oleracea Acephala Group as Kale, which carries this disease. Neither source names disease problems specific to collards.

Black rot of brassicas
moderate

Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris

Likely rather than confirmed: Collard Greens is the same Brassica oleracea Acephala Group as Kale, which carries this disease.

Pests

Mealy cabbage aphid
moderate

Brevicoryne brassicae

Likely rather than confirmed: same Acephala Group as Kale.

Cabbage caterpillars
high

Pieris brassicae; Pieris rapae; Pieris napi; Mamestra brassicae; Plutella xylostella

Likely rather than confirmed: Collard Greens is the same Brassica oleracea Acephala Group as Kale, which carries this pest. Neither source names pest problems specific to collards.

Flea beetles
moderate

Chrysomelidae: Alticini (various spp.)

Likely rather than confirmed: same Acephala Group as Kale.

Plan your Collard Greens planting

When to sow and plant Collard Greens depends on your own frost dates. Check the UK vegetable planting calendar. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Collard Greens in another region

Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

References

  1. Cool-season crop thriving in early spring or fall. Sow seeds in early spring or midsummer; transplant in early spring or late summer. Plant seeds 1/2 to 3/4 inch deep, never deeper than 1 inch. Spacing varies by harvest maturity: young harvest 2-4in apart, half-grown harvest 10-15in apart, full-grown harvest 15-18in apart; optimal bed configuration two to four plants wide with 12-18in between beds. Soil pH 6.0-6.5, well-drained, rich in organic matter; loamy soils give greatest yields, sandy soils suit early spring crops; incorporate 2 inches of compost seven days before planting; needs ample nitrogen for deep green colour and tender growth. Mature plant tolerates frosts and light to medium freezes. Harvest: cut entire young plants (which regrow for multiple harvests), half-grown plants, full-grown plants, or harvest tender leaves individually from mature plants. Keep top 3/4 inch of soil moist but not saturated during germination. Notable NC-performing varieties: Vates, Carolina Improved Heading, Georgia Southern, Blue Max, Heavi Crop. Pests/diseases not addressed in this document.

2 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I sow collard greens in the UK?

In Southern England, from early March. In Scotland, wait until early March. Treat these as a guide rather than a fixed date — the governing rule is to sow only once frost risk has passed and temperatures are reliably warm enough.

When do I sow collard greens?

Sow early March to mid July.

What problems affect collard greens?

Our data links 2 diseases and 3 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

Most of the advice on this page comes down to timing and spacing — sowing at the right moment, rotating beds, and giving plants enough airflow. The UK Garden Planner lays your plot out month by month so those decisions are already made before the season starts.

Get the UK Garden Planner →

Instant PDF download · Written for UK growing conditions

SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

How this guide is put together

The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against RHS and Met Office guidance. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.

Vegetable Growing Guides UK

Crops With the Same Problems

Related Problem Guides

Last verified 2026-08-29

Plan Collard Greens by month

The months this guide gives for sowing or planting, each with the full list of jobs for that month in the UK:

More from the same group (brassicas & mustards):

Relevant next steps

Where To Go From Here

Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.

UK garden plannerTurn this crop guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and a harvest record. All growing guidesBrowse every crop we cover for your region, A to Z. Planting CalendarSee how this crop fits alongside everything else you are growing.

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