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Grown for its tasty and nutritious leaves and leafstalks (petioles), chard is a good substitute for spinach in most recipes. Prefers cool weather, but lasts through summer without going to seed (bolting). Colorful leaves and petioles make it great for edible landscaping and ornamental plantings. |
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Growing Guide
GROWING NOTES
Prefers full sun early in the season, part shade in summer when it’s warm.
Prefers full sun early in the season, part shade in summer when it’s warm.
Biennial grown as an annual.
Requires thinning, but is otherwise relatively trouble-free.
Depending on variety, leaves are dark to medium green, usually with red or white leafstalks and veins. ‘Bright Lights’ has leaf stalks that are red, white, orange, purple, gold, or pink.
MAINTAINING
Start planting about 2 to 3 weeks before last expected frost. Sow seeds ½ to 1 inch deep, 2 to 6 inches apart, in rows 18 to 24 apart. Like beets, chard “seeds” produce more than one plant, and so will require thinning. Thin to 6- to 12-inch spacings.
If you plan to harvest whole plants, make succession plantings through late summer.
Delay planting of ‘Ruby Red’ or ‘Rhubarb’ chard until after last frost. These varieties may go to seed (bolt) if seed is exposed to freezing temperatures.
Start seed inside for earlier crops, or if you want to arrange different colored plants of the variety ‘Bright Lights.’
Mulch plants to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
You can begin harvesting when leaves reach usable size. Remove a leaf or two from each plant, or cut plants an inch or two above the soil for cut-and-come-again harvest. Avoid damaging the growing point in the center of the plant at harvest.
As plants age, older leaves get tough. Cut plants back to about 3 to 5 inches tall to encourage a flush of new, tender growth.
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