Last Updated on September 17, 2026
How Many Collard Plants per Square Foot?
1 collard plant per square foot, set in the center of the square, so plants stand 12 inches apart. That spacing is for full-size collards you pick leaf by leaf all season. If you cut whole plants young for greens instead, NC State Extension spaces them as close as 2 to 4 inches, which fits 9 or 16 in a square.
The spacing pattern
| Per square foot | 1 plant, in the center of the square |
|---|---|
| Inches apart | 12 inches, plant to plant |
| 4 x 4 bed (16 squares) | up to 16 collard plants |
| 4 x 8 bed (32 squares) | up to 32 collard plants |
| 3 x 6 bed (18 squares) | up to 18 collard plants |
That is the number on my square foot gardening chart, and the Plan My Garden planner uses the same one: one collard to each 1 x 1 foot cell. Alabama Extension also spaces collards 12 inches apart in the row.
The bed counts are grid maximums. Collards get large, and a full bed of them is tight if you let every plant grow to full size: NC State Extension spaces plants it will harvest full-grown 15 to 18 inches apart. At one per square, pick leaves as you go rather than waiting for whole full-size plants.
Why collard spacing runs from 2 to 18 inches
The numbers in collard guides do not disagree. Extension services set the spacing by when you plan to cut the plant:
| How you harvest | Extension spacing | In a square |
|---|---|---|
| Cut whole plants very young; they grow back for more cuttings | 2 to 4 inches (NC State Extension) | 9 per square (4 inches) or 16 (3 inches) |
| Cut whole plants at 6 to 10 inches tall | 6 inches (Illinois Extension) | 4 per square (6 inches) |
| Cut whole plants half-grown | 10 to 15 inches (NC State) | 1 per square (12 inches) |
| Harvest full-grown plants | 15 to 18 inches (NC State) | No grid match; 1 per square (12 inches) is closer, a 2 x 2 foot block (24 inches) is wider |
The chart’s one per square matches Alabama Extension’s 12 inches, a little closer than NC State’s spacing for full-grown plants. That works when you pick leaves as the plant grows, the way Alabama and Clemson Extension harvest.
You can have both. Illinois Extension thins seedlings to 6 inches, lets them grow until they touch, then harvests whole plants until the rest stand 18 inches apart, and says the thinned plants can be eaten. In a square: plant 4 at 6 inches, cut three as young greens once their leaves touch, and leave one to grow full size.
Planting the square
- Start seed indoors 10 to 8 weeks before your last frost, 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep, the depth Clemson Extension and Illinois Extension both use.
- Set one transplant in the center of each square 4 to 2 weeks before your last frost. Collards take frost, so they go out early.
- To direct sow, sow a few seeds in the center of the square and thin to the strongest at the three-leaf stage, when Clemson thins. Clemson prefers transplants for a spring crop because seed germinates slowly in cool soil.
- For cut-young greens, sow 4 or 9 evenly spaced spots per square instead of one.
- Keep the soil evenly moist. Minnesota Extension suggests about 1 inch of water a week and notes that heat or water stress turns the leaves bitter.
When to plant collards
These are the windows the Plan My Garden planner uses, counted from your average last spring frost. Turn the weeks into dates with the seed starting calendar, or enter your zip code on Plan My Garden.
| Start indoors | 10 weeks before to 8 weeks before your last frost |
|---|---|
| Transplant out | 4 weeks before to 2 weeks before your last frost |
| Direct sow | No separate week in the planner. Clemson Extension prefers transplants for a spring crop because seed germinates slowly in cool soil. |
| Days to maturity | about 60 days (Clemson Extension gives 60 to 80 from direct seeding, by variety) |
| Frost tolerance | Hardy: the mature plant handles frost and light to medium freezes (NC State Extension), which is why collards go in the bed before your last frost |
Growing notes
Minnesota Extension says collards keep growing and producing new leaves well beyond the first fall frosts, and the leaves can still be harvested after they have frozen. To pick leaves, Clemson Extension starts at the bottom of the plant and works up, taking only a few leaves from each plant so it can recover. Alabama Extension removes no more than a third of the lower leaves at one harvest.
Collards get tall: the planner lists them at about 36 inches. The raised bed vegetable garden layout guide puts taller crops on the north or west side so they do not shade shorter ones. Kale is the same species (Minnesota Extension), and in my 4×8 raised bed layout it sits in the row just south of the trellis crops.
Quick questions
How many collard plants fit in a 4×8 raised bed?
Up to 32 full-size plants at one per square, 12 inches apart. A 4×4 bed holds 16 and a 3×6 bed holds 18.
What is collard spacing in square foot gardening?
One plant per square, in the center, so plants are 12 inches apart. Alabama Extension uses the same 12 inches between collard plants in a row.
Can you plant collard greens closer together?
Yes, if you cut them young. NC State Extension spaces collards 2 to 4 inches apart for a young harvest, which is 9 or 16 per square, and the plants grow back for more cuttings.
How tall do collard plants get?
The Plan My Garden planner lists collards at about 36 inches tall. Plant them on the north or west side of the bed so they do not shade shorter crops.
Let the planner place them
Plan My Garden is free to start: enter your zip code, draw your beds, pick collards and everything else you want to grow, and it places each plant at square-foot spacing and builds a planting schedule from your frost dates.
Related: Square Foot Gardening Chart · Seed Starting Calendar · 4×8 Raised Bed Garden Layout · How Many Kale Plants per Square Foot?
