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Hands cupping a young collard plant with broad, veined leaves
Photo: Pexels

When to plant collards in Oregon and Washington

In Portland: Start collards from seed indoors Feb 1–15, then plant the young plants in the garden Mar 15 – Apr 26. For a fall harvest, plant again Aug 6–20. In Bend: May 12 – Jun 23. Find your city below.

Difficulty
Easy
Sun
Full sun to part shade
Spacing
18 to 24 inches apart
Planting depth
Plant starts at the depth they grew in the pot
Frost
Handles light frost
First harvest
About 60 days after planting

Kale's broad-leaved cousin and one of the hardiest greens for Northwest winters. Frost makes the leaves sweeter, and plants keep producing from fall into spring west of the Cascades.

Collards planting dates

CityStart seeds indoorsPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Portland, ORFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Seattle and Tacoma, WAFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Eugene, ORFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Spokane, WAMar 4–18Apr 15 – May 27Aug 3–17
Bend and Redmond, ORMar 31 – Apr 14May 12 – Jun 23—
Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WAFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 2–16

Find your town

Portland area, OR 6 towns
CityStart seeds indoorsPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Gresham, ORFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Hillsboro and Beaverton, ORFeb 5–19Mar 19 – Apr 30Aug 6–20
Oregon City and West Linn, ORFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Portland, ORFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
St. Helens and Scappoose, ORFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Wilsonville and Canby, ORFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Willamette Valley, OR 5 towns
CityStart seeds indoorsPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Corvallis and Albany, ORFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Cottage Grove, ORFeb 13–27Mar 27 – May 8Aug 6–20
Eugene, ORFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
McMinnville and Newberg, ORFeb 4–18Mar 18 – Apr 29Aug 6–20
Salem, ORFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Southern Oregon, OR 4 towns
CityStart seeds indoorsPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Ashland and Talent, ORFeb 25 – Mar 11Apr 8 – May 20Jul 30 – Aug 13
Grants Pass, ORFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Medford, ORFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Roseburg, ORFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Oregon Coast, OR 5 towns
CityStart seeds indoorsPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Astoria, ORFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 6–20
Brookings and Gold Beach, ORFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 6–20
Coos Bay and North Bend, ORFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 6–20
Newport and Lincoln City, ORFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 6–20
Tillamook, ORFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 6–20
Central Oregon and the high desert, OR 6 towns
CityStart seeds indoorsPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Bend and Redmond, ORMar 31 – Apr 14May 12 – Jun 23—
Burns, ORApr 2–16May 14 – Jun 25—
Klamath Falls, ORMar 31 – Apr 14May 12 – Jun 23Jul 10–24
Lakeview, ORMar 26 – Apr 9May 7 – Jun 18Jul 9–23
Madras, ORMar 10–24Apr 21 – Jun 2Jul 26 – Aug 9
Prineville, ORMar 23 – Apr 6May 4 – Jun 15Jul 14–28
Columbia Gorge and eastern Oregon, OR 9 towns
CityStart seeds indoorsPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Baker City, ORMar 16–30Apr 27 – Jun 8Jul 7–21
Enterprise and Joseph, ORMar 15–29Apr 26 – Jun 7Jul 23 – Aug 6
Hermiston, ORFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 1–15
Hood River, ORFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 4–18
John Day, ORMar 19 – Apr 2Apr 30 – Jun 11Jul 10–24
La Grande, ORMar 4–18Apr 15 – May 27Jul 23 – Aug 6
Ontario, ORFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 5–19
Pendleton, ORFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 6–20
The Dalles, ORFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 6–20
Seattle and Puget Sound, WA 6 towns
CityStart seeds indoorsPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Bremerton and Port Orchard, WAFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Everett, WAFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Kent, Renton and Auburn, WAFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Olympia, WAFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 5–19
Seattle and Tacoma, WAFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Shelton, WAFeb 16 – Mar 2Mar 30 – May 11Aug 6–20
North Sound and the islands, WA 5 towns
CityStart seeds indoorsPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Anacortes, WAFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Bellingham, WAFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Friday Harbor and the San Juans, WAFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Mount Vernon and Burlington, WAFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, WAFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Olympic Peninsula and coast, WA 6 towns
CityStart seeds indoorsPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WAFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 6–20
Forks, WAFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 6–20
Long Beach and Ilwaco, WAFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 6–20
Port Angeles, WAFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Port Townsend, WAFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Sequim, WAFeb 10–24Mar 24 – May 5Aug 6–20
Southwest Washington, WA 3 towns
CityStart seeds indoorsPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Centralia and Chehalis, WAFeb 11–25Mar 25 – May 6Aug 6–20
Longview and Kelso, WAFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Vancouver, WAFeb 1–15Mar 15 – Apr 26Aug 6–20
Wenatchee and the Okanogan, WA 5 towns
CityStart seeds indoorsPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Chelan, WAFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 6–20
Leavenworth, WAMar 4–18Apr 15 – May 27Jul 22 – Aug 5
Omak and Okanogan, WAMar 4–18Apr 15 – May 27Jul 29 – Aug 12
Wenatchee, WAFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 6–20
Winthrop and Twisp, WAMar 6–20Apr 17 – May 29Jul 14–28
Yakima Valley and Columbia Basin, WA 8 towns
CityStart seeds indoorsPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Ellensburg, WAMar 4–18Apr 15 – May 27Jul 29 – Aug 12
Ephrata and Quincy, WAFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 6–20
Goldendale, WAMar 10–24Apr 21 – Jun 2Jul 17–31
Moses Lake, WAFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Jul 30 – Aug 13
Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser, WAFeb 20 – Mar 6Apr 3 – May 15Jul 28 – Aug 11
Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WAFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 2–16
Walla Walla, WAFeb 18 – Mar 4Apr 1 – May 13Aug 6–20
Yakima, WAFeb 27 – Mar 13Apr 10 – May 22Jul 26 – Aug 9
Spokane and eastern Washington, WA 3 towns
CityStart seeds indoorsPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Colville, WAMar 4–18Apr 15 – May 27Jul 24 – Aug 7
Pullman, WAMar 4–18Apr 15 – May 27Jul 24 – Aug 7
Spokane, WAMar 4–18Apr 15 – May 27Aug 3–17

How to grow collards

  1. Start seeds indoors on your city's dates in trays or small pots under a grow light or in your sunniest window. Or skip this step and buy young plants (starts) at a garden center.
  2. Harden off the young plants: about a week before planting, set them outside for a few hours a day, a little longer each day.
  3. Plant them in the garden on your city's dates, 18 to 24 inches apart. Plant starts at the depth they grew in the pot.
  4. Water deeply once or twice a week rather than a little every day, and mulch once the soil is warm.
  5. Plant again on your city's dates for a fall harvest.
  6. Harvest: Pick the lower leaves when they're about the size of your hand, and let the top keep growing. Leaves picked after a frost taste sweetest.

Popular collards varieties

Widely sold picks that do well somewhere in Oregon or Washington. The tag says which side of the mountains suits each one best.

Champion

Vates type, compact · 60 days

An improved Vates collard with dark blue-green leaves on compact plants. It is very cold-hardy and slow to bolt, so it keeps producing from fall well into spring.

Both sides

Georgia Southern

Tall heirloom · 75 days

The classic Southern collard: tall plants with big, smooth, blue-green leaves. It handles both summer heat and hard frost, and the flavor sweetens after cold weather.

Both sides

Vates

Low, compact heirloom · 75 days

A short, sturdy collard with broad, slightly crinkled leaves. Long a favorite for overwintering, it stands up to cold, wind and rain.

Both sides

Flash

Hybrid, smooth leaves · 55 days

A fast hybrid with smooth, dark leaves and good bolt resistance. A dependable pick for spring plantings, when other collards may bolt early.

Both sides

Key numbers

Growing notes

What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.

Why collards suit Northwest winters

Collards are a loose-leaf member of the cabbage family, very close to kale. They're tougher than most of their cousins: established plants usually ride out freezes into the low teens, and cold weather turns some of the starch in the leaves to sugar, which is why winter collards taste milder and sweeter than summer ones.

West of the Cascades, a planting set out in midsummer gives leaves from fall right through to spring. East of the Cascades, hard winters can kill them, but fall harvests are still excellent.

Soil, feeding and picking

Like all leafy cabbage-family crops, collards want rich soil with plenty of nitrogen and a pH of about 6.0 to 7.5. Mix in compost before planting and side-dress with a balanced fertilizer a month later. Keep the soil evenly moist; stressed plants get tough, bitter leaves.

Pick from the bottom up, taking two or three leaves per plant at a time and leaving the growing tip alone. A well-fed plant keeps making new leaves for months.

Keeping pests off

The white cabbage butterfly lays eggs on the leaves, and the green caterpillars that hatch chew big holes. Aphids cluster under leaves in late summer. Insect netting or row cover laid over hoops from planting day is the simplest fix. Hand-pick any caterpillars you find, and knock aphids off with a strong spray of water.

Don't grow collards in the same spot as kale, cabbage or broccoli two years running. That breaks the cycle of clubroot and other soil diseases the family shares.

Common questions about growing collards

What's the difference between collards and kale?

They're the same species with different leaves. Collards have broad, flat, smooth leaves; most kales are curly or crinkled. Collards are a bit more heat-tolerant and slightly milder.

When do collards taste best?

After a few frosts. Cold makes the plant store sugar in its leaves, so fall and winter collards are noticeably sweeter.

Can I grow collards in summer?

Yes, they handle heat better than most cabbage-family greens. In hot eastern valleys, give them afternoon shade and steady water.

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