USBG Collards
Thank you for visiting the U.S. Botanic Gardens. You can support the preservation work at Seed Savers Exchange by accessing seeds through the SSE catalog, join ADAPT, or request from the Exchange.
Connecting with Collards
Seed Savers Exchange, The Heirloom Collard Project, and U.S. Botanic Gardens partner to share the joy of heirloom collards.
As part of its ongoing education initiatives, Seed Savers Exchange is partnering with the USBG in Washington, D.C., to showcase five heirloom collard varieties from its seed bank in the USBG Kitchen Garden. The collaboration aims to provide a public learning space for demonstrating and interpreting heirloom collard production and seed saving and offer educational programming on heirloom collards to the public and local urban growers.
To grow and save seeds from collards is to understand collards’ histories and food traditions. In doing so, we recognize collards as a critical component of American food culture and honor the legacy of African American chefs, storytellers, elders, farmers, stewards, etc. We want to encourage people to learn about collards—how people, their food, and the land are all interwoven through the diverse lens of collards.
Get Involved
SSE Catalog
Doing good—together. By supporting our nonprofit mission with your seed purchases, you help keep heirloom seeds where they belong: in our gardens and on our tables.
Request a SSE Catalog
Collard Seeds
Slightly bitter, tasty and nutritious, collards have long been a staple of Southern cuisine, but will grow well across the United States. Collard seeds grow vibrant green leaves and our heirloom, organic varieties are sure to please.
Browse Collard Seeds
Heirloom Collards Project
The Heirloom Collard Project is working to recognize and respect collards as a key component of American food culture so that their seeds and stories will never be forgotten.
Heirloom Collards Project
The Exchange
The Exchange, facilitated by SSE, is a community of gardeners and seed stewards, sharing and swapping unique varieties you might not find anywhere else.
The Exchange works to keep biodiversity strong and garden traditions thriving.
ADAPT
The Community Science ADAPT program is a fun and exciting way to get involved in Seed Savers Exchange’s mission of preserving and sharing our food crop heritage. Participants in this program trial varieties from the seed bank in their own gardens and send us feedback on their performance. This information helps us better understand the adaptability of these varieties to different environments.
Learn more about ADAPTWays to Give & Membership at Seed Savers Exchange
With your support, Seed Savers Exchange can ensure heirloom seeds are kept in our gardens and on our tables, today and for generations to come.