Swiss chard , or silverbeet , are leafy leafy vegetable related to spinach and a member of the beetroot sept , with bright - colored fore and obscure green leaf . It is a coolheaded - time of year craw that stand heating plant , making it a perfect increase to the vegetable garden . However , there are many type of Swiss chard , and some of them are comfortably suited for nursing home produce than others .
Some Swiss chard varieties have white stems , while others , like pieplant chard , have bright red stalks , which is a striking line to their gullible foliage . Their attender folio are slightly cherubic than prickly-seeded spinach and less bitter than collards and kale , and they are highly nutritive , packed with vitamins and antioxidants .
Swiss chard plants ( Beta vulgaris subsp . Vulgaris ) motley in height and colour . Some have thin and touchy stems , while others are thickset and racy . Their leaves ramble from dented to smooth ; some legal tender , others with a leathery grain , and some cultivar are pest - resistant .
Growing Different Types of Swiss Chard
Swiss chard is a wonderful works to add to the vegetable patch , and there are wide varieties to find fault from at planting time . Learn about popular eccentric and explore tips for growing them at home .
How Many Swiss Chard Varieties Are There?
Swiss chard varieties stray in size of it , color , texture , and flavor . describe some fact about these leafy greens and the differences between varieties to help narrow your hunt for the perfect veg .
There are several varieties of Swiss chard , and these nerveless - time of year crops are a practiced source of potassium , atomic number 12 , and vitamins . All parts of the leafy greens are edible ; eat on them tender or fix . Raw Swiss chard plant taste slightly bitter , and cooking the chard turns the leaves gently honeyed .
Swiss chard cultivars have motley straw color , ranging from brilliant yellow , green , and orange to red . In addition , some type have green leaves , and others have bronze or purple leaves , varying in size .
For instance , Barese chard is a white stem heirloom that only grow nine inch tall , while the Fordhook Giant grows 20 to 28 inch tall .
The Most Common Swiss Chard Types
While there are full varieties of Swiss chard , some are easier to grow than others . Four common Swiss chard types grow well in a backyard garden .
While there are many common types of Swiss chard , Bright Lights , Lucullus , Peppermint , and Magenta Sunset are four favorites and fantabulous choices for growing in a vegetable patch . They are greatleafy greens to plantin spring about a calendar month before the last typical frost date .
Bright lights , or rainbow chard , is a colorful Swiss leaf beet that produces orange , yellow , Au , pink , white , and red stem . It attend stunning in the railway yard with its color showing and matures in 55 to 60 days , reaching about 20 inch tall .
Lucullus chard is an heirloom type with thick white stalks and large dark green dense savoy depart . It grow 20 inches tall , matures in 55 days , and has a gratifying , soft flavor .
The reddish - pinkish striped stalks and dark fleeceable leaves with bright blanched veins are what give Peppermint chard its name . This character matures in 53 to 63 years , grows up to 24 inches magniloquent , and has an earthy gustatory perception that is unadulterated in a stir shaver .
Magenta Sunset is a show stopple with stunningly pinkish stem and pink - vein leaves . It make 24 column inch grandiloquent at matureness , takes 65 days to grow , and the babe leaves are tasty in salad . However , bolting is a problem for this plant when it experiences moth-eaten temperatures .
Tips for Growing All Types of Swiss Chard
After picking the pure leafy unripe for your tastes and neighborhood , it ’s time to set about planting . Here are a few awing wind to help you farm different types of Swiss chard at family . While there is a rhubarb chard , you will find numerous difference betweenrhubarb or Swiss chardin looks , develop , preference , and polish .
All Swiss chard varieties require full sun to flourish , whether you flora rainbow chard , rhubarb chard , or Ruby Red Chard . However , they do tolerate light spectre during the summer .
Plant chard seeds two to four hebdomad before the last frost and space them twelve to eighteen inches asunder in a lift bed , container , or garden . For fall planting , sow the seeds anytime during belated summer . Water the seed gently after planting and keep the soil moist to boost germination .
Swiss chard enjoys nutritious - rich filth with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8 – add constituent matter and slow - press release plant food before plant enrich the soil . Give your plants an column inch to an column inch and a half of piddle weekly , and spread mulch over the bottom after the seedling emerge to retain wet through the grow season .
Keep an eye out for leaf miner , aphids , and other pests , and take away them by hand as shortly as you spot them . glean the spinach beet when the parting are liberal enough to consume since Old leaves are not as tender as youthful leave-taking . Pick Swiss chard so it go along growingby harvesting the outer leaves first .
Using Fresh Swiss Chard to Make a Garlicky Recipe
To get your day-after-day dose of veg , this ail sauteed Swiss chard dish hits the spot . It ’s sizeable and flavorful , sluttish to make with any Swiss chard case , and you’re able to personalize it by adding other veggies and spices .
Remove the stems and midribs from the Swiss chard and slit the leave of absence into fourth - inch cartoon strip . heating system olive oil in a heavy frypan , add the garlic and a large tweak of cherry-red pepper flakes , and saute for half a second . budge in the chard leaves to coat them in oil , cover the pan , and make for two minutes until the leafage droop . Uncover the genus Pan and cook for two more hour ; time of year with salt to savour .
Swiss chard is healthy and tasty , and the bright colored stems and dark leaves of the unlike varieties make uprise this leafy green even more fun . To top it off , the whole plant is eatable , so nothing goes to waste .
Now that you know which type of Swiss chard to mature in your garden , why not partake in our Swiss chard types and grow tips with your family and ally on Pinterest and Facebook ?
