CHARD

Similar to beets, both the stems and leaves of chard can be eaten cooked or raw. Swiss chard is prolific—leave plenty of room in the garden bed! It has a mild flavor, adding nutrition and color to salads, pastas, pizzas, quiches, sandwiches, and more.

Typically grown as a cool-season crop because it grows quickly and easily during the cooler temperatures of spring and fall, chard is quite tolerant of hotter temperatures, too. Its growth will slow down in summer, but chard’s higher heat tolerance makes it a great salad green to grow when it gets too hot out for the others.

Chard is a superfood, high in vitamins A, C, and K. It doesn’t have that bitter taste that a lot of other greens have, and it makes a good substitute for spinach or kale, if you’re not a fan of those superfoods. 

On top of all its virtues as a garden vegetable, chard is a lovely edible ornamental plant, coming in many different colors to mix with landscaping or in containers. Why, you could even use chard in a vase or bouquet, mixed with flowers or on its own. Why should flowers have all the fun?

When to Plant Swiss Chard

• For the spring season, plant chard seeds 2 to 3 weeks before the last spring frost date.
• For a fall harvest, plant chard seeds about 40 days before the first fall frost date. (Many varieties will tolerate a light frost.)
• To speed germination, soak seeds in water for 24 hours prior to planting. 

How to Plant Swiss Chard

• When ready to plant, apply 5-10-10 fertilizer to the area.
• Sow seeds 1/2 to 1 inch deep, 2 to 6 inches apart, in rows 18 inches apart.
• Continue planting seeds at 10-day intervals for a month.