If you are looking for an early spring vegetable to get started or onw that looks striking in a border with flowers then read on to learn more about how to grow Swiss chard!
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Growing Bright Greens
You might have spotted these bright green and colorful stemmed leaves in the grocery store. They’re often near the kale in the organic section of the produce.
The leaves of Swiss chard (a.k.a chard) are known for their savoyed, crinkled or puckered appearance. The leaves are glossy bright to dark green color with colorful firm stems that range from red, orange, yellow, white and even pink!
Swiss chard is a big yielding leafy green vegetable. It is perfect for cut-and-come-again type of harvests.
Why grow Swiss chard?
If you are growing a garden for food security, then you need to grow vegetables that provide vitamins and minerals in addition to calorie crops or staples.
Swiss chard is a great nutrition crop to grow. The leaves are packed with fiber, iron, calcium and vitamins A, C, E and K as well as lots of other vitamins and minerals like manganese, folate, choline, magnesium, vitamin B2 and B6.
The plants can get to be a couple of feet tall making them very striking in the garden and a nice ornamental in a flower border too.
What is Swiss Chard?
Swiss chard is part of the beet family of plants. It is a leafy green that can be harvested as young baby leaves for salads of bigger greens for stir fry, braising, or adding to soups and casseroles.
Swiss chard makes a great substitute for spinach in recipes.
How to grow Swiss chard
It grows happily in cooler temperatures making it perfect for spring and even fall gardens. Swiss chard can tolerate heat if provided adequate water and mulch.
Swiss Chard Varieties
There’s quite a few varieties available for the home gardener that are available as a single color or as a surprise mix of colors! This is what makes Swiss chard so striking in the garden.
White Stems
- Fordhook Giant
- Barese
- Lyon
- Liscia Verde Da Taglio
Red Stem
- Vulcan
- Rhubarb Red
- Ruby
Yellow Stem
- Gold Silverbeet
- El Dorado
- Golden Sunrise
Orange Stem
- Orange Fantasia
- Oriole
Pink Stem
- Flamingo
- Pink Passion
Mixed Stem
- Rainbow
- Aurora Formula
- Bright Lights
- 5 Color Silverbeet
- Electric Neon
- Northern Lights
How long does it take for Swiss chard to grow?
If you are looking for quick growing veggies, Swiss chard is definitely one of them! Check the information on the seed packet or in the catalog description for the variety you want to grow but most Swiss chard varieties are mature in 50 to 70 days.
How to sow Swiss chard seeds
Timing is important when growing Swiss chard from seed. If you’re growing Swiss chard from seed for spring. Then start your Swiss chard seeds indoors 4 weeks before your last spring frost date.
Sow 1 seed per module in a seed starting tray
If you’re using a seed starting tray
Sow the chard seeds 1/2 inch (1 cm) deep in the soil. Keep the soil moist to help the seeds germinate.
Learn more about starting seeds in the Complete Seed Starting Guide.
Starting Swiss chard seeds outdoors
You can grow Swiss chard from seed outside directly in the garden. This is called direct sowing. Start seeds outside in the garden 6 weeks before your first frost date to grow for fall.
Sow your Swiss chard seeds 1/2 inch (1 cm) deep and about 2 inches (5 cm) apart then thin out your seedlings to 18 inches (45 cm) apart.
Why so far apart?
This is to give your plants room to grow. Swiss chard grows tall and the leaves will start to flop down as they get bigger. More space means more air circulation which leads to less disease on your plants.
Thinning Swiss chard seedlings
Swiss chard seeds, like beet seeds are irregularly shaped clusters of multiple seeds. This means that when the Swiss chard seedlings germinate you will have multiple seedlings growing close together in a group.
You need to thin Swiss chard seedlings to give them space to grow. Thin seedlings in the seed starting tray
If you have sown your seedlings directly outside, thin seedlings to 18 inches (45 cm) between plants.
Pro Tip!
Use scissors to snip the weaker or more spindly looking seedlings at ground level. Leave the strongest to grow.
Where to plant Swiss chard
Swiss chard grows well in sunny and semi-shaded areas of the garden. It needs a moist, rich soil so work in plenty of well rotted compost into the planting area before transplanting your seedlings.
When to plant Swiss chard
Your seedlings will need to acclimate to the weather outside. Harden off your seedlings when they are 4 – 6 inches tall. Do this gradually over 10 days, aiming to plant them out after the last frost has passed.
How to care for Swiss chard plants
Swiss chard plants grow better with consistent moisture. Use a mulch around the plants and water more often during the summer.
Check for pests
Your plants can fall pray to many pests. Check for signs of pest activity on your plants like holes, trails, chewed leaves and bugs on the plants. Some common pests which love to chomp on Swiss chard are:
- Root knot nematode
- Darkling or rove beetle
- Leafminers
- Aphids
- Slugs and snails
- Flea beetles
- Caterpillars, cutworms and loopers
The sooner you spot pests, the sooner you can find an organic method to help!
Check for diseases
Look over your plants regularly to spot diseases early. Look for unusual changes in appearance to leaves, spots or patches that appear, wilting and yellowing leaves. Some common diseases for Swiss chard are:
- Bacterial blight
- Scab
- Beet curly top disease
- Leaf spot
- Downy mildew
- Damping off
- Beet western yellow virus
- Root rot
Feeding Swiss chard plants
Most plants need a boost throughout the growing season. Try some of the following organic methods to help your Swiss chard grow!
- Side dress with compost.
- Feed with comfrey tea.
- Feed with Bokashi juice.
When to harvest Swiss chard
Chard can be harvested when the leaves are about 2-4 inches (7 cm). This small size is perfect for baby leaf salads!
If you are wanting bigger greens, cut the leaves when the plants are about 1 foot (30 cm) tall. Harvest leaves from the outside at the bottom using a sharp knife or clean pruning shears
Want to learn more and grow a better garden?
Check out these other blog posts to dig in and grow more in your garden.
- Plant These Food Crops For Better Food Security
- How Do I Start Composting In A Small Garden?
- Tips For A Thriving Seed Bank
- How To Increase Vegetable Yield
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