Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Swiss Chard (
Beta vulgaris
)
Swiss chard is in the same family as spinach and beets. In fact, Swiss chard is basically a beet that
is grown for its stem and leaves instead of the root. And wow! What a colorful and tasty stem and
leaves it produces! Swiss chard is one of those plants that is as much at home in the front planter
bed as it is in the vegetable garden, because the brilliant colors are so attractive.
Sow your seeds outdoors when the soil is at least 47°F or sow indoors and transplant out in early
spring. Plant seeds to 12 inches apart in soil mixed with new compost. Some swear by soaking the
seeds overnight to help improve germination, so that's something you can try if you want. Seeds
will last for three years when stored properly, so don't feel like you have to plant the whole packet—
you can plant half and save the rest for the following year.
Swiss chard produces for a long time in the fall garden. You can harvest the outer leaves only when
the plants are newer. On plants that are more mature, you can harvest the entire plant by cutting
off stems about an inch above ground level. Swiss chard often regrows with new, tender stems that
you can continue to harvest.
Keep Swiss chard watered consistently and mulch well, both to preserve the moisture and to keep
water from getting on the leaves. If your growing season gets extended because of earlier planting
in the summer or a mild early winter, renew the soil with an application of fertilizer and compost.
Swiss chard can be used as both a green and an asparagus or celery replacement in the kitchen.
Stems can be lightly steamed, sautéed, or pickled, while greens can be dehydrated, blanched and
frozen, or used in stews, omelets, and casseroles.
Leaf miners can be a problem for chard, as with spinach, and floating row covers are an easy way to
help prevent this problem. If your seedlings aren't growing well it could be because of weeds in the
area, because Swiss chard doesn't compete well with weeds. Clear your planting area before sowing
seeds or transplanting, and then cover with a layer of mulch to smother out any weeds.
Bright Lights.
Also called Five Color Sweetbeet or Rainbow Chard, this cultivar is quickly grow-
ing in popularity as a specialty market chard. Stems are produced in red, pink, yellow, orange, and
white!
Flamingo Pink.
This chard's name is not an exaggeration; the stems are bright pink, almost neon
colored.
Fordhook Giant.
Burpee, a plant and seed company, introduced this heavy yielding choice with
dark green leaves and white stems.
Ruby Red.
My kids call this Christmas chard because the stems are cherry red while the leaves are
dark green.
