When to Plant Collards in Melbourne, Cool Temperate Guide
Soil temperature is modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Melbourne), not a live sensor.
What this month normally looks like in Cool Temperate
In October the Cool Temperate zone normally runs 19°C by day and 8°C overnight, with about 67 mm of rain over 9 or 10 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was -3.0°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 28 postcodes, SILO.
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This Collards guide is written for the Cool Temperate zone, which takes in Melbourne, Hobart and Geelong. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Planting window
- Aug to Mar
- Days to harvest
- 60 days
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 60 cm apart
- Soil pH
- 6.0–6.8
Collards (also called collard greens or borekale) are a non-heading brassica producing large, flat, dark green leaves on sturdy stems.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Cool Temperate
- Jan S/T/D
- Feb S/T
- Mar T
- Apr -
- May -
- Jun -
- Jul -
- Aug S
- Sep S/T/D
- Oct S/T/D
- Nov S/T/D
- Dec S/T/D
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
One email a week with what is worth planting in the Cool Temperate zone right now, Collards included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.
How to Grow Collards in Cool Temperate Australia
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained soil amended with plenty of compost and aged manure. Tolerates heavier clay soils better than most brassicas.
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 6.0-6.8
- Sunlight
- Full sun (6+ hours). Tolerates part shade, especially in warmer zones. Minimum 3 hours direct sun.
- Spacing
- 60cm apart, 75cm between rows
- Watering
- Deep watering 2-3 times per week. Consistent moisture produces tender leaves. Drought stress toughens leaves and may trigger bolting. Drip irrigation ideal.
- Good companions
- Nasturtium (trap crop), Dwarf Beans, Onion, Cucumber, Dill
- Keep away from
- Strawberry, Tomato
- Grow before it
- Legumes (Beans - Dwarf, Peas, Broad Beans)
- Grow after it
- Fruiting crops (Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini)
Give the bed 3 turns before brassicas go back in. The cabbage family is hungry for nitrogen and shares club root and other soil diseases.
Cool Temperate Growing Tips for Collards
Recommended Varieties
- Vates
- Champion
- Georgia Southern
Key Challenges
- Slow growth in cold winters
- Less productive December-February in heat
Pro Tips
- Collards handle frost well. Flavour sweetens after cold snaps
- Plant in September for summer harvest, February for winter harvest
- Excellent for replacing kale in the garden
Pests and problems for Collards in Cool Temperate
- Aphids Moderate
- Cabbage White Butterfly Watch
- Downy Mildew Avoid overhead watering. Space for air circulation. Water in morning. Watch
- Clubroot Lime soil. Good drainage. Long rotation. Disease-free transplants. Watch
Organic prevention (Aphids): Avoid excess nitrogen. Check transplants. Grow flowering companions to attract beneficials.
Harvesting Collards
When ready: Leaves are large (20-30cm), dark green, and firm. Harvest from the bottom of the plant upwards. Leaves should snap cleanly when bent.
How to harvest: Cut-and-come-again: snap or cut lower leaves, leaving the growing tip and upper leaves to continue producing. Never harvest more than 1/3 of leaves at once.
Storing and preserving collards
How to keep it
- Blanching and Freezing. Wash leaves. Remove tough stems. Blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes (collards need longer than spinach due to tougher leaves). Ice bath, drain, squeeze out water. Pack into freezer bags. Keeps: 10-12 months.
- Dehydrating. Wash and remove stems. Tear into pieces. Blanch 2 minutes, cool, drain. Dehydrate at 55C for 6-10 hours until crispy. Crumble for use in soups, or store whole for rehydrating. Keeps: 6-12 months.
- Fermented Collard Wraps. Blanch whole leaves 30 seconds to soften. Layer in jar with salt brine (30g salt per litre water). Weight down. Ferment 5-7 days at room temperature. Refrigerate. Use as wraps for fillings. Keeps: 2-3 months refrigerated.
What members get
- Soil and weather from your nearest station
- An email when it's time to sow
- Your own garden plan, including planning from a photo
- Price history and price alerts
- Pest risk alerts for your area
- Full salt and canning detail
Common Questions About Collards
When do you plant collards in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Apr to Sep
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Feb to Jul
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Feb to Jun, Aug to Nov
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Jan to Mar, Aug to Dec
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Jan to Apr
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Mar to Aug
- Mediterranean (Perth): Feb to May, Aug to Oct
Can you grow collards all year round in Melbourne?
No. In the Cool Temperate zone the planting months are Jan to Mar, Aug to Dec. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Collards in Melbourne?
Start in trays from August, sow direct from September to January, and plant out up to March. Frost hardy once established and can overwinter in Melbourne.
What soil temperature do Collards need?
Collards germinate best when soil temperature is between 8°C and 30°C.
How do I know when Collards are ready to harvest?
Leaves are large (20-30cm), dark green, and firm. Harvest from the bottom of the plant upwards. Leaves should snap cleanly when bent.
What are the best Collards varieties for Melbourne?
Recommended varieties for the Cool Temperate zone include: Vates, Champion, Georgia Southern.
What grows well with Collards?
Good companion plants for Collards include: Nasturtium, Dwarf Beans, Onion, Cucumber, Dill.
Are collards salt tolerant?
Only a little. Collards are moderately sensitive to salt, so the harvest drops on salty bore water. Mix salty water with rainwater, and mulch the bed.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box near the top of the page and it tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Cool Temperate zone, Melbourne is its reference city.