Although it ’s alike to spinach and kale and often confused with pieplant , Swiss chard is a separate vegetable . This extremity of the beet family — botanical name Beta vulgaris subsp . cicla — add nutrients to your dieting and flair to your garden . observe how to establish Swiss chard to boom your repertory of leafy greens .
Swiss chard mixed bag grow from eight to 24 inch tall . Their colored stems can be pink , blanched , chickenhearted , or another fun color . This leafy veg is in high spirits in antioxidants and vitamin A , C , and K.
The superfood is also an excellent source of atomic number 19 , manganese , magnesium , iron , and cop . mark that you should not eat too much Swiss chard if you ’re monitor your oxalate intake .
Tips for Planting Swiss Chard
It ’s potential to wipe out chard leaves and stems raw or cooked . The vegetable has a less virulent flavor than many other greens . taste adding homegrown Swiss chard to salads , pasta , pizza pie , ado - Roger Eliot Fry , or soup .
How to Plant Swiss Chard
This veggie grow in USDA zones 2 to 11 . The good room to plant Swiss chard is togrow Swiss chard from source . Sow chard seeds begin in early springtime in cool region and before the first fall hoarfrost in milder areas .
The plant is a biennial in warm regions , mean that it correct cum in its second class . Swiss Swiss chard prefers cooler weather ; however , it does continue to rise over the summer , unlike many greens — albeit more slowly .
pluck a location with full sun if possible or light spook if necessary . you could startgrowing Swiss chard indoorswith seeds in trays or sow in them straightaway in the garden . In either case , verify to thin the seedlings to provide enough room for the leave-taking to grow .
Swiss chard works spacing varies depending on whether you want babe greens or tumid parting , whether you aregrowing Swiss chard in containersor outside in the garden . Give your plant ordered water and a little fertiliser . Harvest KO’d leaves as needed throughout the growing season .
Planting Swiss Chard: Getting Started
To get started plant Swiss chard , choose a mixture and companion plants . check that to implant chard at the appropriate sentence of year for your area .
Swiss Chard Varieties
Each chard potpourri has a unique , candy - like color combination .
take note that rainbow chard is not a specific chard cultivar but rather a combination of unlike varieties .
Companion Plants for Swiss Chard
Choose companion flora with similar sun , grease , and water penury . They also should not appeal problem pest and diseases .
Avoid planting beets , legumes , and most herbs near Swiss chard . Find another location , as well , for cucurbit like cucumber and Cucurbita pepo , and do notgrow spinachnearby .
When to Plant Swiss Chard
Part of how to implant Swiss chard is prefer a worthy planting date . When to plant Swiss chardis tardily . lineal sow in chard seed from early spring through midsummer when the soil is at least 50 ℉ , or start the seed indoors three to four week before the last frost particular date .
Transplant the seedling outdoors just after the last frost , likewhen is beet season . In warm neighborhood , sow in chard seed in late summer , up to one calendar month before the first fall frost . Chard stand promiscuous frost and is fearless to 15 ℉ . The vegetable is a biennial in milder climates .
Planting Swiss Chard: Sowing Seeds
originate chard seeds indoors or sow them directly in the garden . Although full Lord’s Day is ideal , a little tincture is fine during the summer .
Choosing and Amending Soil for Swiss Chard
This flora thrives in informal , deep , well - drain , fat soil that ’s fat in organic matter . The soil should be loamy and slenderly acidic to neutral .
Work in some aged compost before planting . Extra N is good for leafy vegetable . study append a balanced , slow - release fertilizer .
Planting Swiss Chard Seeds
To speed germination , hock seeds in water for 24 hr before plant . Sow the seeded player a half - in deep . Succession planting extend the harvest .
Expect the seeds to sprout in 7 to 14 days . Because they ’re shaped in irregular clustering , they ’ll send out niggling groups of seedlings .
If you sow seeds indoors , transfer the seedling outside when they have at least three straight leaves . Before transplanting , acclimatise the plants out of doors for a couple of 60 minutes per day for several days .
How Far Apart to Plant Swiss Chard
Sow Swiss chard source four to 12 inch aside within row — on the closer end for babe greens . place the wrangle 18 inch asunder .
Once the chard plants are three to four inches tall , slim them to six to eight inches aside , or nine to 12 column inch for larger plants . trim off the plant at earth grade using scissors .
lead each cluster ’s strong seedling in the ground . Use the others as salad green . Crowded chard plants get smaller leave and may go to seed more quickly .
Caring for Swiss Chard Plants
Swiss chard is a comparatively well-heeled vegetable to originate . Other than thinning , all you need to do is allow for a small water and fertilizer and watch for pests and diseases .
Watering and Fertilizing Swiss Chard Plants
Chard requires consistent wet , peculiarly when the plants are first starting out and as they get bombastic . Ensure that established plants get one in of water per week and water more often during summer dry enchantment .
Spread mulch to keep up moisture and forbid sess . Feed fluid fertilizer or compost tea double during the summertime .
Preventing Pests and Diseases on Swiss Chard Plants
Several pests and disease plague chard plants occasionally .
To discourage pests , minimize weeds , expend prolific and well - draining soil , and follow rule of thumb about how far aside to plant Swiss chard .
check your tearing since chard diseases are often a solution of under or overwatering . Pick off any insect and eggs by hand , or spray them with a hose . Remove and discard hard invade leaves .
Harvesting Swiss Chard
This vegetable typically takes 50 to 60 days to grow . Theway to glean Swiss chardis to pick chard leaves when they ’re six to 12 inch grandiloquent . glean continually to keep your industrial plant fat .
cull the former pass on a few at a time to give the young , bid leaves room to arise . Cut off chard leaves about one column inch above the undercoat with a sharp tongue . Harvest Swiss chard in the morning or evening when temperatures are cool .
Rinse leaves , pat them dry , and salt away them in the fridge in ventilated credit card bag . After harvesting an entire industrial plant , pull up its roots to give other plants more blank space .
Try constitute Swiss chard to savour a alimentary , tasty veg with vibrant colors to boot . Start chard seed indoors or sow in them directly in the garden starting in early spring . Find out how far apart to plant Swiss chard to maximize your harvest time .
Cut off a few chard leaves at a time or harvest the whole plant life to add to sweat , salads , pizza pie , and more . You wo n’t repent learning how to institute Swiss chard .
If you found this Swiss chard growing information helpful , please partake these vegetable planting summit with your friend on Pinterest and Facebook .
