Collard honey oil , Brassica oleraceavar.acephala , are a standby of Southern cooking , sauteed with bacon or a gammon Rhenish , and maybe served alongside a tasty bowlful ofblack - eyed peas .

Or perhaps you ’ve tried them raw , in station of a tortilla to hold your favorite filling in a vegan wrap .

Whatever your pleasure , these broad - leafed vegetable are tasty and nourishing , and they merit a place in your garden .

A close up, top down picture of a large Brassica oleracea var. acephala, aka collard greens, growing in the garden, with large dark green leaves and light colored veins.

But did you cognise that there are several unlike cultivar to choose from ?

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Many heirloom types have a long story of culture , with ejaculate saved each twelvemonth from family plot , and passed from one coevals to the next . Others are hybrids , cautiously selected and breed for disease opposition and high output .

A close up vertical picture of a large Brassica oleracea var. acephala, collard greens, plant growing in a raised bed garden, with dark green leaves, pictured in bright sunshine, with kale in soft focus in the background. To the center and bottom of the frame is green and white text.

Let ’s take a look at some of the top varieties , favorites among gardener who eff their leafy green .

7 of the Best Collard Cultivars

1. Champion

An improved ‘ Vates ’ type know to produce gamy return , ‘ Champion ’ matures in about 75 days , with a height of 24 - 36 inches and spread of about 30 column inch .

With large , dark gamy - green leaf that are a turn knit , this type is slow to bolt . And after nibble , harvests can be lay in in the electric refrigerator longer than other types , while maintaining a tasty grain .

‘ Champion ’

A close up vertical picture of a large Brassica oleracea var. acephala, collard greens, plant growing in a raised bed garden, with dark green leaves, pictured in bright sunshine, with kale in soft focus in the background. To the center and bottom of the frame is green and white text.

Disease and freeze resistant , this open - cross-pollinate cultivar is also slow to bolt .

seed are useable from Eden Brothers .

2. Ellen Felton Dark

An heirloom cultivar that go out back to at least 1935 , this case has black light-green , slenderly crumpled , bid , and flavorful leave .

This type is cognise to have been grown originally by a nurseryman named Ellen Felton , of Beaufort County , North Carolina . Her son Harrell carried on the tradition of growing this crop and saving seeded player each year , and he donate some to the USDA in 2003 .

Plants have a mature height of 15 - 22 inches with a spread of 22 - 35 inch . plant age in 60 - 80 twenty-four hours .

A close up of Brassica oleracea var. acephala ‘Champion’ cultivar, growing in the garden, pictured in bright sunshine.

3. Georgia

Also fuck as ‘ Georgia Hybrid ’ or ‘ Georgia Southern , ’ this heirloom cultivar is a darling among raiser . And the tone only improve with a touch of light Robert Lee Frost .

Plant your first crop in the bounce , and sow in again in summer for a late - time of year harvest .

plant with a mound habit and liquid , slightly wrinkle leafage texture ripen in 65 - 70 day , with a 12 - inch spread head and a height of 24 to 36 inches .

A close up of Brassica oleracea var. acephala ‘Georgia Hybrid’ variety, growing in a raised bed, surrounded by straw mulch.

leaf are blue and dark gentle - green , and suitable for brisk feeding , freezing , or canning .

‘ Georgia ’

This type is tolerant of both heat and cold , humidity , and poor soil conditions , ‘ Georgia ’ is also immune to light-colored frost , and slow to gobble . It ’s well suited to warm climate in USDA Hardiness Zones 6 and up .

A close up of a large Brassica oleracea var. acephala ‘Tiger Hybrid’ growing in the garden in light sunshine.

seed areavailable from Eden Brothers , or you’re able to find six - packs of seedling quick for planting from Bonnie Plantsvia Home Depot .

4. Morris Heading

Unlike the other cultivars on this list , all loose - leafage varieties , ‘ Morris ’ is a head variety that produces loose head teacher of leave of absence instead .

These are typically shorter than those produced by most type , and plants are more stocky .

have intercourse for their stamp texture , leaves are medium green , and a bit bent . look a ripe altitude that maxes out at about 36 column inch in full sun weather condition .

A close up, top down picture of Brassica oleracea var. acephala ‘Vates,’ growing in the garden.

‘ Morris ’

Plants reach maturity in 75 - 85 days , and they are tolerant of heat and inhuman . This type is suited to Zones 3 - 12 .

seed areavailable from True Leaf Market , or buy garden - ready seedlings in large number of sixfrom Home Depot .

5. Old Timey Blue

A unique cultivar with add ornamental appeal , this eccentric , sometimes called ‘ Alabama Blue , ’ boasts pale blue - green leaves with violet stems and veins .

Ralph Blackwell , a nurseryman in Alabama , donated save seeds from his sept ’s patch to the Seed Savers Exchange in 1989 . Prior to that , this heirloom character was grow by Blackwell ’s family for at least 100 year .

Suitable for canning as well as sauteing and other preparations , plant have an erect growth wont and reach a height of about 24 inches at maturity , in 60 - 80 days .

6. Tiger Hybrid

A high - soften cultivar with an upright growing substance abuse , ‘ Tiger Hybrid ’ plants have large , thick , and slightly savoyed leaves with a green - blue hue .

Known for its satisfying flavor , ‘ Tiger Hybrid ’ can be planted as a prune - and - fall - again crop for repeat harvest , with leaves that mature in about 55 - 60 days .

‘ Tiger Hybrid ’

look fledged heights of 20 - 25 inches and a scatter of 22 - 25 inches .

seeded player are useable from Burpee .

7. Vates

Best suited to Hardiness Zones 3 - 12 , this high - yielding heirloom cultivar produces dark green , shiny , and slightly buckle leaf with yellow root .

With a mound habit , plants extend to about 34 inches in top and they like to spread .

‘ Vates ’

Disease and frost resistant , ‘ Vates ’ matures in about 75 - 85 day . Plants are slow to bolt .

Seeds are usable at Eden Brothers .

Grow Your Own Greens

Ready to grow your own flavourful and nutritious leafy jet ? Whatever the spring up zone , with the proper care , collard are an annual edible that can flourish in your garden .

Collard seeds can be commence indoors , or sown directly in the garden . Plant several sets of seeds in succession or cut and come again formultiple harvest throughout the time of year , and be after for exposure to a lite frost tardily in the time of year in cooler zones for the just spirit .

Before you know it , you ’ll be sitting down to plates filled with homegrown collard wraps , savory face , pleasant-tasting soups , and give notice goods made with this pleasant-tasting and nutritious vegetable .

And for more information ongrowing your own collard greensin the veggie garden , give these guides a gander next :

© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more detail . ware photo via Bonnie Plants , Burpee , Eden Brothers , Home Depot , and True Leaf Market . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock . With extra writing by Tori Vallana .

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Allison Sidhu