Jefferson Seed Library

Swiss Chard

A beautiful cool-weather crop, swiss chard stems come in a rainbow of colors. Leaves and stems can be eaten raw and tossed in salads or steamed, sautéed, or cooked in many kinds of dishes. 

  • Variety
 Burpee’s Rhubarb Chard; Fordhook Giant; Ruby Red
  • Scientific Name
 Beta vugaris
  • Growing Level
 Easy
  • Seed Saving Level
 Intermediate
  • Seed Storage
 5 years if properly stored
  • Life Cycle
 Biennial
  • Germination Time
 7-14 days
  • Height & Spread
 12”-16” tall x 8”
  • Light Requirements
 Full sun
  • Days to Harvest
 55-60 days
  • “Check Out” Month See Upcoming Events for specific “check out” dates.
 February, March, August
  • In Stock?
 Yes

 

Table of Contents

 

Growing Tips

Container Friendly

1 plant per 12” container

When to Start

Spring: Start indoors for later transplant 4-6 weeks before the last frost. (Feb 15 – End of March for GA)

Direct sow: 2-3 weeks before the last frost. (End of March for Jefferson, GA)

Transplant: Two to three weeks before the last frost date. (End of March for Jefferson, GA)

Fall: Direct sow 6-7 weeks before the first frost. (Aug 1-Sep 20 for GA)

 

How to Start

 

Swiss chard likes full sun and well-draining soil. The seeds need a little preparation before sowing. Soak the seeds overnight. This will aid germination. Direct sow in rows 1 to 2 inches apart. Cover the seeds lightly with loose soil, and then sprinkle them with water. Plants should sprout in 7-14 days.

 

Care

 

Seedlings are tolerant of frost but protect from moderate to severe freezes. For a continuous supply, space each planting about 3 weeks apart. Once the plants are a couple of inches tall, thin them to about 4-6 inches apart.

Chard likes rich soil. Side dress with compost or fertilize for good leaf production. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. Use mulch to help retain soil moisture and to suppress weeds.

 

Harvest

 

When the plants are 9 to 12 inches tall or when the leaves are 6” long, you can start harvesting them. Chard reaches a mature height of 1-2 feet.

 

Pest Management

Slugs can be the bane of Swiss chard. Try one of the slug traps mentioned in “Slug Traps.” The link is below.

Seed Saving

Isolation Distance

 

Swiss chard and beets are wind-pollinated and of the same species. All varieties of beets and Swiss chard will cross each other. Different varieties must be caged, bagged, or separated by 1 mile for safe distance isolation.

 

Instructions

 

Let seeds mature and dry on the stalk before harvesting, then completely dry before gently rubbing the seeds off their stalks. Each ‘seed’ is botanically a berry and contains several actual seeds (breaking them apart would damage many of the seeds). This is why chard and beets often come up several plants to a spot despite the most carefully frugal sowing efforts.

 

Features

  • Burpee’s Rhubarb Chard: Heirloom. The plants stand out on bright red stocks and they have a nutty, meaty flavor. 
  • Fordhook Giant: Heirloom. It has thick, dark green, tender leaves with a slightly bitter, earthy flavor. A good spinach substitute. 
  • Ruby Red: Heirloom. Candy-apple red stems and dark green, red-veined leaves. More frost tolerant than other Swiss chards. 
  • Young leaves at 6” mature leaves at around 20”.
  • Swiss chard is a member of the beet family.

You May Also Like: 

Slug Traps

Pest Management

Frost and Freeze Dates

Sources:

Starting & Saving Seeds By Julie Thompson-Adolf

Gardeningknowhow.com

Rareseeds.com