All About Growing Swiss Chard

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Soak seeds overnight in water before planting to ensure strong germination.

Rejuvenate plants in late summer by pulling off old leaves, spreading a little compost over the root zone and drenching with a water-soluble organic fertilizer. They will respond by making a strong comeback in early fall. You can keep picking chard for a few weeks after your first fall frost.

Use shade from taller plants such as sweet corn, tomatoes or sunflowers to filter intense summer sun, which can cause off flavors. Where summers are hot and dry, locate chard on the north or east side of taller plants.

Use a single chard plant as the centerpiece for a small collection of culinary herbs that have been planted together in a broad container.

You can usually twist leaves away from chard plants, but as plants age they push out of the ground a bit, almost like beets. When this happens, it’s better to harvest the leaves with a sharp knife.

For small gardens, consider a perpetual chard or a dwarf variety such as ‘Pot of Gold.’

In the Kitchen

Chard is two vegetables in one. Cooked chard greens can stand in for spinach in any recipe, and the crisp ribs can be steamed or grilled like asparagus. Or simply chop and cook the greens and ribs together, squeeze out excess water, and use the cooked chard in casseroles, quiches or as a succulent side dish. In addition to being an excellent source of vitamins A and C and several minerals, chard’s abundance of vitamin K makes it especially valuable for maintaining strong bones.

Barbara Pleasant is a veteran Mother Earth News contributing editor, award-winning book author and one of America’s most trusted garden writers.

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