Collard Greens 'Georgia Southern'
Collard Greens 'Georgia Southern' is a heirloom brassica. Germination takes 7-14 days and fruit ripens from about day 60-85. Skin runs to blue-green with thick leaves. Water need is 1-1.5 inches per week, drought tolerant when established. Suits zones 6-9. It will crop in a container.
Sowing
Direct sow in late summer for fall/winter harvest, or early spring. Can start indoors 4-6 weeks before transplanting.
Cultivation
- Sun
- Full sun to partial shade (4-6+ hours)
- Water
- 1-1.5 inches per week, drought tolerant when established
- Soil
- Well-drained soil, tolerates poor soils better than most brassicas
- Soil pH
- 6.0-7.5
- Spacing
- 18-24 inches
- Height
- 10-24 inches
- Season
- Cool season, but heat tolerant
Appearance & flavour
- Colour
- Blue-green with thick leaves
- Size
- 8-12 inch leaves
- Shape
- Large, flat, paddle-shaped leaves
- Flavour
- Mild when young, earthy and slightly bitter when mature, sweet after frost
In the kitchen
Braising, steaming, sautéing with bacon, traditional Southern dishes, smoothies when young
Pests, disease & resistance
- Pests
- Cabbage worms, flea beetles, aphids, harlequin bugs
- Diseases
- Black rot, clubroot, downy mildew, bacterial leaf spot
- Resistance
- Good resistance to heat stress and bolting
Planting calendar by USDA zone
| Zone | Start indoors | Transplant | Direct sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April – May | June – July | June – July | August – September |
| 2 | April – May | June – July | May – July | July – September |
| 3 | March – April | May – June | May – June | July – October |
| 4 | March – April | May – June | April – June | July – October |
| 5 | February – March | April – May | April – May | June – November |
| 6 | February – March | April – May | April – May | June – November |
| 7 | February – March | April – May | March – May | May – November |
| 8 | January – February | March – April | March – April | May – December |
| 9 | January | February – March | February – March | April – December |
| 10 | January | February – March | January – March | March – December |
| 11 | January | January – February | January – February | February – December |
| 12 | January | January – February | January – February | February – December |
| 13 | January | January – February | January – February | February – December |
Companion planting
8 beneficial pairings indexed for this variety, 3 to avoid.
Avoid
Nutrition (per 100 g)
- Calories (per 100 g)
- 32
- Protein (g)
- 3.02
- Fat (g)
- 0.61
- Carbohydrate (g)
- 5.42
- Fibre (g)
- 4
- Sugars (g)
- 0.46
- Vitamin A (µg)
- 251
- Vitamin C (mg)
- 35.3
- Vitamin E (mg)
- 2.26
- Vitamin K (µg)
- 437
- Vitamin B6 (mg)
- 0.165
- Folate (µg)
- 129
- Calcium (mg)
- 232
- Iron (mg)
- 0.47
- Magnesium (mg)
- 27
- Phosphorus (mg)
- 25
- Potassium (mg)
- 213
- Zinc (mg)
- 0.21
- Selenium (µg)
- 1.3
Where to buy seed and equipment
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Cultivar facts compiled from public horticultural references including USDA GRIN and NC State Extension. Descriptions are original to this catalogue.
Grown Collard Greens 'Georgia Southern'?
Post a crop report — day counts, reservoir readings, what worked. Variety-specific logs are the most useful thing on the forum.
Similar varieties
Other brassicas with a comparable time to harvest, so a season that suits Collard Greens 'Georgia Southern' suits these too.
- Kale 'Winterbor F1' 60 days
- Radish 'Daikon 'Miyashige' 60 days
- Purple Vienna Kohlrabi 60 days
- Lacinato Kale 60 days
- Peppermint 60 days
- Winterbor Kale 60 days