Swiss chard

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; afternoon shade helps in hot summers.

Water

Keep the root zone evenly moist but not waterlogged. Water deeply when the soil surface begins to dry.

Soil

Fertile, well-drained soil enriched with compost; tolerates heavier soil if drainage is adequate.

Height

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) in leaf; flowering stems can reach 3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m)

Spread

1-1.5 ft (0.3-0.45 m)

Foliage

Large, smooth or crinkled green leaves with prominent veins and broad, fleshy stalks; some varieties have burgundy-tinted leaves.

Growth

Fast

Care needed

Low

• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.5 ft (0.15 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.5 ft (0.45 m)

   full size

Full size in one season.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Mildly toxic: may upset a stomach

Growth rate

Fast

• Thin or transplant seedlings to 8-12 in (20-30 cm) apart for full-sized plants.
• Water consistently during dry weather to keep leaves tender.
• Work compost into the bed before planting; feed lightly with a nitrogen-containing vegetable fertiliser if growth slows.
• Mulch around established plants to conserve moisture, keeping mulch clear of their crowns.
• Use horticultural fleece or row cover to extend harvests through light frosts.

Pruning. Harvest outer leaves by cutting their stalks near the base, leaving the central growing point and several young leaves intact. Remove damaged leaves promptly and pull plants that send up flower stalks unless you want seed.

Pick baby leaves about 4–6 weeks after sowing, or wait roughly 8–10 weeks for outer leaves with firm stalks and leaf blades 6–12 in (15–30 cm) long. Cut individual outer stalks near the base, taking the attached leaves and leaving the central growing point and several healthy leaves intact for repeat harvests.

Early spring

Prepare the bed with compost and sow once the soil is workable and beginning to warm.

Mid-spring

Thin seedlings as true leaves develop; use the thinnings as baby greens.

Late spring

Begin harvesting outer leaves when plants are well established.

Summer

Water during dry spells, mulch the soil and remove badly spotted or mined leaves.

Late summer

Sow another crop for autumn harvests; in mild climates, this can also provide winter leaves.

Late autumn

Protect productive plants from light frost or clear the bed where hard freezes are expected.

Winter

In mild climates, harvest sparingly during slow growth and remove frost-damaged leaves.

• Plant coloured-stemmed varieties in repeated groups along vegetable-bed edges for a strong rhythm of colour.
• Mix with lettuce, parsley and edible flowers in a potager for contrasting leaf shapes and useful harvests.
• Use as a bold foliage accent among flowering annuals in sunny borders.
• Grow in large patio containers with good drainage, keeping leaves within easy reach for picking.

Garden styles it suits: Potager (kitchen garden), Edible landscape, Cottage garden, Homestead, Sensory garden and Small-space.

Plant it with: Lettuce, Onions, Parsley, Calendula, Nasturtiums and Dwarf beans.

Wildlife: Slugs, snails and leaf-mining insects feed on the foliage. Plants left to flower offer small, inconspicuous blooms, but chard is mainly wind-pollinated and is not a major nectar plant.

• Slugs and snails chew seedlings and leaves: remove hiding places, check plants after dark and use an approved iron-phosphate bait if needed.
• Leaf miners make pale blotches or tunnels: remove affected leaves and use insect mesh over new sowings where infestations recur.
• Cercospora leaf spot causes small grey-brown spots with darker margins: remove affected foliage, improve spacing, water at soil level and rotate crops.
• Bolting produces a tall flower stalk and poorer leaves, often after cold exposure followed by longer days: avoid planting too early into prolonged cold and replace bolting plants.

Leaves and stalks are edible for people and are not considered poisonous in normal food portions. They contain oxalates, so people advised to limit dietary oxalate should follow medical guidance. Chard is not generally considered poisonous to cats or dogs in small amounts, though large quantities may cause digestive upset and are unsuitable for animals with some kidney or urinary conditions. Avoid feeding large quantities to horses because soluble oxalates can interfere with calcium balance.

• Beetroot (Beta vulgaris)

  Young leaves can look almost identical, especially on red-stemmed chard. Beetroot develops a swollen storage root; chard is selected for large leaves and stalks rather than a rounded root.

• Spinach (Spinacia oleracea)

  Spinach generally has thinner leaf stalks and smaller, less strongly ribbed leaves. Chard develops broad, fleshy stalks and prominent veins.

Beta is the Latin name for beet, while chard comes from the French carde, referring to an edible leaf stalk.

Propagation. Sow seed directly in spring or late summer, about 0.5-1 in (1-2.5 cm) deep. Each corky seed cluster may produce several seedlings, so thin them after emergence. Plants saved for seed can cross with beetroot and other flowering forms of Beta vulgaris.

Accepted botanical name

Beta vulgaris vulgaris Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla is an older name for Beta vulgaris vulgaris.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.