Collards

Collards are the most forgiving of the cool-season greens here and the one most likely to still be standing in February. The main North Florida planting runs from September to November for cutting through the winter, and a second from February to April runs until heat brings on bolting. Leaves are cut from the bottom up over a long period rather than harvested as a whole plant.

From the guide: UF/IFAS gives the North Florida planting dates for this crop as February to April, and again September to November. It gives 70–90 days from seed to harvest, or 50–70 from transplants, 12–24 inches apart in rows 24 inches apart, sown ¼–½ in. deep. On the crop itself it says: Cold and heat tolerant. Cool-season greens are more flavorful. Greens are ready for use 2 months after planting. Harvest lower leaves; never remove more than 1/3 of the plant at one time. The days-to-maturity figure on this entry is the one measured from seeding, because that is what its planting window marks.

Where these dates come from: the North Florida column of the UF/IFAS Extension Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP 103/VH021), which defines North Florida as everything above State Road 40. Walton County is well inside it, and the Central and South Florida columns of the same table give different months. The guide is written for home and market gardens, so its spacing and days-to-harvest figures are a starting point for a field planting rather than a commercial schedule, and days to harvest varies by variety.