Swiss Chard Growing Guide

Swiss Chard is a nutritional leafy vegetable that grows well in warm and cool weather. It contains a high content of minerals, fiber, phytonutrients, and vitamins A, C, and K. Bright green leaves and colorful stalks make Swiss chard the glamorous green and nutritious vegetable in the garden. Chard is a delicious alternative to spinach but easier to grow. If you love to grow leafy greens in your garden, you should grow a crop of attractive Swiss chard. One sowing of chard will give you harvests over several months.

In this comprehensive growing guide, you'll learn how to grow Swiss chard, from choosing the best variety to planting, caring for, and harvesting the crop.

About Swiss Chard

Swiss chard is a versatile, ornamental, easy-to-grow leaf crop that can be enjoyed over a long season. It is a member of the beet family, so you can eat young chard leaves raw in salads and cook larger leaves like spinach, which is like beets. Chard is a prolific vegetable, so leave plenty of space in your garden bed. Its mild flavor adds color and nutrition to salads, sandwiches, pasta, quiches, pizzas, and more.

Swiss chard is usually a cool-season vegetable because it grows quickly during spring and fall when temperatures are cooler. However, it is also tolerable to hot temperatures. Chard's growth slows in summer, but its good heat tolerance makes it an excellent salad green for hot summers.

Swiss Chard Varieties

Different varieties of chard are available, offering unique stem colors and leaf veining in red, pink, orange, yellow, white, or purple shades. The popular, best-known types of Swiss chard include:

Bright Lights is a most beautiful and carefree chard variety with dark green leaves on rainbow-colored stems. It is bolt-resistant and suitable for harvesting in late fall

Bright Yellow is a lovely variety that produces golden yellow stalks with green puckered leaves. It is hardy over winter and slow to bolt. The bright yellow variety produces a late-autumn crop and an early spring harvest.

Fantasy is a beautiful, red-stemmed chard variety with a mild flavor. It is known for its high tolerance of downy mildew.

Rhubarb is an heirloom variety that has deep-red stalks like rhubarb and dark green leaves with red veins. It is ready to pick up in 60 days. Sow this variety once the risk of frost has passed.

Soil Needs

Swiss chard prefers rich, fertile, well-drained, and moisture-retentive soil high in organic matter, with a pH between 6 and 6.8. The vegetable grows best in a sunny area but can tolerate little shade in summer. Before sowing, weed the ground completely. Work organic matter such as garden compost or fertilizer into the soil before planting to improve the soil.

Spacing

Sow chard seeds 1 inch deep, 2 to 6 inches apart in the rows, and with rows 12 to 15 inches apart. Dense planting will minimize weed pressure. When seedlings develop, thin the plants to 8 inches apart.

Growing Zones and When to Plant Swiss Chard

Swiss chard grows best in zones 3-11. Chard seeds can be sown into the ground from early spring through mid-summer but can also be sown indoors for an early crop. Sow chard seeds around 40 days before the fall frost date to harvest the fall crop. You can plant seeds outdoors from April to July in prepared ground. Two plantings, one in April and the second in July, are sufficient.

For spring harvest, plant seeds 2-3 weeks before the last spring frost date. For regular harvest of baby leaves, sow batches of seeds every few weeks from March to August. To accelerate germination, soak chard seeds in water for at least 24 hours before planting.

How to Plant Swiss Chard

Before planting, apply compost or natural fertilizer to the soil. Sow chard seeds 1 inch deep and continue sowing seeds every ten days for a month. You can start seeds indoors in pots or containers to transplant later and prevent slugs from eating the seedlings.

When plants reach 3 to 4 inches tall, thin them 4-6 inches apart, use sharp scissors to avoid damaging surrounding plant roots, and use cuttings in salads. Additionally, mulch your chard plants to retain moisture and control weeds.

Fertilization Needs and Type of Fertilizers

Before planting, add compost or aged manure into the soil to improve its fertility. Scatter a general organic fertilizer on the soil at least one week before planting, then rake the soil. A balanced fertilizer should be applied in the middle of the season. Apply nitrogen-based fertilizer four weeks after transplanting or thinning seedlings to promote faster leaf growth. Side-dress the fertilizer and irrigate it into the soil.

Water Needs and Ideal Watering System

Water young plants evenly and regularly to help them grow better. Ensure the soil remains moist for the best-flavored and fresh leaves. Water plants consistently during dry summer spells to prevent bolting. If they bolt, they won't produce new leaves. Plants grown in containers require regular watering throughout their life cycle because the small amount of compost dries rapidly.

A drip irrigation system is the most effective way to ensure your chard plants get uniform watering and consistent moisture for steady growth. If watering plants by hand, avoid wetting the leaves. Wet foliage causes plant diseases. So, apply water at the plant's base under the leaves using drip irrigation.

Read More: 8 Amazing Benefits of Drip Irrigation in Vegetable Gardening

Harvesting and Usage

Start harvesting Swiss chard when the plants are 6-8 inches tall or any time after the leaves form. The fully grown leaves will be ready to harvest in 10-12 weeks after planting, but the late summer sowings can take longer to mature. Using the cut-and-come-again technique, cut the older and larger leaves first with a sharp knife to allow the young leaves to continue growing. Avoid injuring the center of the plant. Harvest plants regularly so they can produce new leaves continually. In the fall, place row covers over the plants to extend the harvests.

Swiss chard, especially baby leaves, should be eaten fresh soon after picking. Young leaves can be used for salads, and larger leaves can be added to stir-fries or cooked like spinach. You can store the chard in plastic bags in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks for later use in soups or other dishes.

Life Cycle of the Swiss Chard Plant

Swiss chard is a biennial plant with a two-year life cycle, but it is grown annually in a vegetable garden and harvested during the first growth season. Once it starts flowering and sets seeds in the second year, its leaves become bitter and unappealing. Chard is hardy to 15°F, and while it thrives in cool temperatures, it can also tolerate heat with regular watering. Successful chard cultivation requires a garden location with full sun and rich soil.

Common Diseases and Care

Swiss chard is a robust and trouble-free vegetable not susceptible to many pests and disease problems. You must protect seedlings from attacks by slugs, snails, and birds using row covers. Some chard varieties, such as those with red stems, may be prone to bolting.

Leaf miners can damage leaves and affect plant growth, but the affected foliage can be removed. The best way to handle the problem is to kill the larvae. In overcrowded or damp conditions, the leaves can be affected by fungal diseases such as gray mold and downy mildew.

The Bottom Line

Swiss chard is a gorgeous, low-maintenance, and easy-to-grow vegetable that adds beauty to your garden and provides a healthy crop. Its ornamental leaves and colorful stems look as good in borders and containers as in the ground. Packed with nutrients and vitamins, the chard leaves make a healthy addition to soups, salads, and stir-fries.

So, get high-quality chard seeds, grab your garden tools, and plant this leafy vegetable in your garden to enjoy multiple harvests.