The Southern Colonies grew primarily cash crops, which were cultivated specifically for sale rather than personal use. The main crops included tobacco, cotton, rice, and indigo (a plant used to make blue dye)
- Virginia and Maryland specialized mainly in tobacco.
- South Carolina and Georgia focused on indigo and rice, with South Carolina also growing cotton and tobacco extensively
- The warm climate, fertile soil, and long growing season in the Southern Colonies made them ideal for large plantations that produced these crops on a large scale
These plantations relied heavily on labor from enslaved Africans and indentured servants to maintain the extensive farming operations
