For the spring season, plant chard seeds 2 to 3 weeks before the last spring frost date. When ready to plant, apply fertilizer to the area. To speed germination, soak seeds in water for 24 hours prior to planting.
Continue planting seeds at day intervals for a month. This harvesting technique involves taking only a few older leaves at a time from each plant, allowing younger leaves to continue growing for additional harvests later in the season. For a fall harvest, plant chard seeds about 40 days before the first fall frost date. Many varieties will tolerate a light frost. Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site Chard will tolerate partial sun, but grows best in full sun.
Ensure that your soil is well-draining and rich by mixing in compost before planting. If your soil is particularly poor, apply a balanced fertilizer to the planting site. Chard prefers a soil pH between 6. How to Plant Swiss Chard To speed up germination, soak seeds in water for 24 hours before planting. Space rows about 18 inches apart. Like beet seeds, chard seeds actually come in clusters of a few seeds, which results in multiple seedlings emerging from a single planting hole.
Once the plants reach 3 to 4 inches tall, thin them to about 6 to 8 inches apart or 9 to 12 inches apart if you desire larger plants. Snip them with scissors and enjoy the young seedlings as a snack! Crowded chard plants just tend to produce smaller leaves.
To grow not merely start chard indoors, soak seeds for 24 hours in water. Plant in rich potting soil in a container with drainage holes. Place the container in a sunny window. Water to keep the soil damp. Check out this video to learn how to grow Swiss chard:. How to Grow Swiss Chard When plants are 3 to 4 inches tall, thin to 4 to 6 inches apart or 6 to 12 inches if plants are large. Use scissors to avoid disturbing nearby plant roots—and harvest the cuttings!
Chard usually does just fine without the use of fertilizer, but if yours seems to be staying small, consider applying a balanced fertilizer halfway through the season. Water Swiss chard evenly and consistently to help it grow better. Water plants often during dry spells in the summer. Mulch the plants to help conserve moisture and supress weeds. When plants are about 1 foot tall, cut leaves back to 3 to 5 inches to encourage new tender growth.
If chard plants become overgrown, they become less flavorful. Aphids Leaf miners Cercospora leaf spot Slugs. How to Harvest Swiss Chard You can start harvesting when the plants are 6 to 8 inches tall, depending on which size leaves you desire. Harvest regularly, and the plants will produce continually. To extend the harvest, lift the plant, with roots in the soil, and transfer to a container in a greenhouse.
Spores enter plants via damaged tissue, wounds or open flowers. Mould can also damage ripening fruit such as strawberries. Black resting spores survive over winter. Remove damaged plant parts before they can become infected. Cut out infected areas into healthy tissue and clear up infected debris. In greenhouses, reduce humidity by ventilating and avoid overcrowding of young plants and seedlings.
Birds, especially pigeons, can cause an array of problems including eating seedlings, buds, leaves, fruit and vegetables. Protect the plants from birds by covering them with netting or fleece. Scarecrows and bird-scaring mechanisms work for a while, but the most reliable method of protection is to cover plants with horticultural fleece or mesh. Individual plants can provide pickings for several months, and if you sow in spring and again in mid-summer, you should have harvests for most of the year.
Pick cut-and-come-again crops at any stage, once the plants have reached at least 5cm 2in tall. They should re-grow if you leave a small stump. Buy chard. Take action Why take action? Support us Donate Careers Commercial opportunities Leave a legacy.
The best way to deal with this problem is to try to squash the maggots in the blotchy areas or to net crops. Crop rotation is important as this can prevent any overwintering maggots of the beet leaf miner from affecting your chard crop. This charming hardy climber creates a canopy of glossy green foliage, which in summer is strewn with flat white panicles of flowers on long stems.
Add colour to your garden this winter, select from pansy 'Colourburst', 'Grande Fragrance', wallflower 'Wizard' and viola 'Valentino'. A superb evergreen bearing delicate, waxy, bell-shaped flowers in the depths of winter, with lush green foliage for year-round interest. Home How to Grow plants How to grow Swiss chard. Average Yield 6kg per 3m row Spacing 25cm apart. Sowing Swiss chard seeds.
Swiss chard seedlings. Snipping fresh chard leaves. Storing and reserving chard. Chard will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. Remove the stem and chard will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months. Chard varieties. Red chard: Rainbow 60 days ; Ruby Red 55 days ; Vulcan 60 days. Light green chard: Giant Lucullus 50 days ; Lucullus 50 days. More tips: Chard Seed Starting Tips. Your email address will not be published. Post Comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.
Learn how your comment data is processed. Please check settings. Thank you so much for this well written, easy to understand and packed with tons of useful information. Get the best gardening tips straight into your inbox! Email Address:. Join our gardening family to receive the latest tips.
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