Swiss chard is a leafy green vegetable that’s grown like kale, but looks and tastes similar to spinach. It can be eaten raw in salads or cooked into sautés with other vegetables. The leaves have a distinctive flavor which many people find addictive, so you may want to add it to your cooking rotation if you’re looking for new ways to use greens.
Swiss chard is a leafy green vegetable that can be grown in containers. It’s easy to grow and care for, but it requires different conditions than other vegetables.
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We’ve all heard the phrase “eat your greens” as children. Of course, you don’t comprehend the relevance of the statement until you’re an adult.
Green veggies are naturally popular among health-conscious people all around the world. They are nutrient-dense superfoods that are high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Swiss chard is one such leafy green.
The beet family includes Swiss chard, sometimes known as ‘chard.’ Dark green foliage, brilliant, multicolored stems, and a somewhat harsh flavor distinguish it. It’s also known as spinach beet because of its similar look and taste to spinach.
Growing Swiss chard in your backyard or kitchen garden may be both fascinating and rewarding. It’s also surprisingly simple.
To learn how to cultivate and care for Swiss chard, read this complete tutorial. But first, let’s look at some of the advantages of growing Swiss chard in your garden.
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Contents
- 1 What Are the Benefits of Growing Swiss Chard?
- 2 When Should You Plant and Grow Swiss Chard?
- 3 Which Swiss Chard Variety Should You Grow?
- 4 Swiss Chard Planting Instructions
- 5 Taking Care of Swiss Chard
- 6 Swiss Chard harvesting
- 7 What Is The Best Way To Store Swiss Chard?
- 8 Conclusion
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What Are the Benefits of Growing Swiss Chard?
For a variety of reasons, growing Swiss chard in your kitchen garden is appealing.
For one thing, you may have a steady supply of healthful greens delivered right to your dinner table from your own garden. You can either add chopped chard to your soup or stir fried it to make a delicious side dish. With stalks that taste like bok choy, there are a plethora of dishes you can make with this leafy green.
Swiss chard has the same nutritional value as spinach. It contains a lot of Vitamin K, three times the daily required amount, in only one cup. It’s also high in magnesium, potassium, iron, and dietary fiber, as well as vitamins A, C, and E.
But what if you don’t eat vegetables and your only motivation is to see your kitchen garden ablaze with color? Rainbow Chard is made up of multiple species of Swiss chard that are planted together to give your kitchen garden a dynamic and colorful appearance.
Swiss chard may also be cultivated as an attractive plant in a container.
Another advantage of chard is its simplicity of planting and growth. In general, chard is simpler to cultivate than spinach. It’s also a biannual plant, which means it’ll live for two years rather of just one.
Let’s look at how to produce Swiss chard, which is appealing to cultivate for a variety of reasons.
When Should You Plant and Grow Swiss Chard?
Although chard is a cool-season plant, it may also thrive in warmer climates.
Plant the seeds approximately a week before the final spring frost date if you wish to grow the crop through the spring.
Plant seeds a month before the first frost date if you want to receive a chard crop before winter arrives.
Growing Swiss Chard Requires Specific Soil Conditions
Swiss chard may thrive in a variety of soil types as long as there is proper drainage.
Chard does not appreciate soil that is excessively acidic since it will stunt its development. A soil pH of 6 to 7 (slightly acidic to neutral) is considered optimum.
Which Swiss Chard Variety Should You Grow?
Chard comes in a variety of colors and is equally healthy. As a result, the variety you choose to plant in your garden will be determined by the taste or stalk color you want.
The following are some of the most popular varieties of Swiss chard:
Barese
This type has a moderate taste and a white stem. The pest-resistance of barese chard is a big asset.
Lucullus
This is another white-stalked variety with a pleasant taste.
Sunset in Magenta
This type features pink-veined leaves that taste well and has a bright pink stem and moderate flavor.
Fantasia in Orange
This vibrant and savory ingredient to any dish with bright orange stems and a nice taste.
Rhubarb
The stems of rhubarb chard are a dark crimson color, with red-veined leaves that are luscious to eat.
Peppermint
The stalks of this swiss chard cultivar are reddish-pink in color and have an earthy taste.
You may choose just one of these kinds or all of them and plant them in your lawn to create a rainbow of hues.
You may also be interested in: Sweet Potatoes: Everything You Need to Know
Swiss Chard Planting Instructions
Swiss chard does not need a lot of area to grow. Swiss chard may be grown in a typical kitchen garden or in pots if you don’t have much space to work with. For individuals who have limited room in their backyards, a vertical garden is a terrific solution.
It’s time to be ready to plant your chard after you’ve determined where you want to grow it.
It is best to soak your seeds in lukewarm water for a few hours before planting them to ensure that they sprout fast.
First and foremost, find a sunny site to sow the seeds, since Swiss chard thrives in bright light.
By combining compost and sand in a 1:1 ratio, you can ensure that the soil is rich. The addition of sand to the soil improves drainage and aeration. It also keeps the soil from clumping, allowing the roots to penetrate more deeply. For maximum nutritional richness, add two to three inches of compost.
Then, in numerous rows, put the seeds half an inch deep and two to three inches apart. Maintain a distance between rows of approximately twelve to eighteen inches. Even if you just have a little space in your garden to produce Swiss chard, you can get a lot of crops with this spacing.
Apply a two to three-inch layer of mulch to keep weeds at bay and prevent the soil from drying up entirely. However, avoid pressing it against your plants, as this can trap moisture and cause them to rot.
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Taking Care of Swiss Chard
After planting the seeds, you must properly care for your Swiss chard to ensure maximum development.
Watering
Swiss chard, like other vegetables, benefits from frequent watering. Water the developing plants more regularly during times of insufficient rainfall to minimize moisture stress. Its roots will be able to develop correctly as a result of this.
Snipping
Take a pair of scissors and clip the plants when they reach approximately three to four inches in height to thin them down significantly. The leaves are thinned to avoid overcrowding and to let them to grow to their proper size.
Snip the plant from the outside and let it to continue to grow. Seedlings may be removed by snipping them off at the soil level using scissors. As a pleasant and healthful snack, eat the young seedlings.
Fertilizer use
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Swiss chard is a resilient plant that thrives in a variety of soil types. Nonetheless, a nitrogen fertilizer treatment around the base of the plants might help with leaf development.
If your plants aren’t developing to their full potential and instead remain little, apply a balanced fertilizer in the middle of the season.
Controlling pests
You don’t usually have to worry about Controlling pests when growing Swiss chard, as it does not attract a lot of pests.
Having said that, certain bugs love eating the chard almost as much as you do. For getting rid of these, you will have to employ Controlling pests measures.
Pesticides may be used to control slugs and flea beetles. Picking by hand is also a possibility.
Aphid infestations on older leaves are possible. If this is the case, just pick and dispose of the affected plants. Dislodge the aphid clusters clinging on the underside of the leaves with a forceful spray of water.
Swiss Chard harvesting
Around three months after planting, Swiss chard is ready to harvest. Only remove the outer leaves at a time, leaving the interior leaves alone. The inner leaves will sprout to replace the missing leaves in no time, and you may then cut them.
This may go on for as long as necessary. Chard is a “cut-and-come-again” plant, which implies that cutting the outermost leaves will result in a continual supply of leaves as long as the center bud is not damaged.
If you need to cut the plant down to the ground, leave one inch in the soil and cut the remainder above that. The plant will continue to produce new leaves in this manner.
Harvest the chard using a serrated knife for a smoother cut.
What Is The Best Way To Store Swiss Chard?
Keep the leaves in a cool, somewhat damp location, such as your refrigerator. Alternatively, to provide optimal aeration, put them in a perforated plastic bag.
Swiss chard should not be kept for more than 10 days. The leaves will wilt and lose most of their nutrition if you keep them away for so long.
Conclusion
Growing swiss chard should be a snap for anybody with the knowledge given in this article. The brightly colored stalks and green leaves will not only light up your garden, but they will also liven up your salads. And, of course, the nutritional value of the leaves will be diminished.
So, what do you have to lose? Get the seeds and start growing your own swiss chard! Happy gardening!
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Swiss chard is a vegetable that can be grown in raised beds. It requires little water and is perfect for small gardens. Reference: growing swiss chard in raised bed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you maintain Swiss chard?
A: Swiss chard is grown in greenhouse or indoors. You can fertilize the soil before you plant, and put it near a sunny window to grow quickly.
Will Swiss chard grow back after cutting?
A: Yes, Swiss chard will grow back after about two to three weeks
How do you harvest chard so it keeps growing?
A: Because of the way that chard grows, it is necessary to harvest them manually. The leaves will brown and die off over time, leaving behind a small bud that needs to be cut away from its stalk. After this has been done for around six weeks in total, the plant will flower and produce seeds which can then be harvested when ripe
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