Description Varieties White-stemmed Broad white stems, often flattened, with glossy green leaves. Tend to be more productive and more tolerant of both cold and heat than colored varieties. ‘Fordhook Giant’ consistently outproduces other varieties in field trials. ‘Fordhook Giant,’ ‘Lucullus,’ ‘Silverado’ Colored Excellent ornamentals. Tall pink- and red-stemmed varieties such as ‘Pink Passion’ or ‘Burgundy’ often grow quite tall and tend to be highly productive. Red varieties may bolt if planted too early in the spring. Sample various hues by trying seed mixtures.

‘Pink Passion,’ ‘Burgundy,’ ‘Orange Fantasia,’ ‘Golden Sunrise,’ ‘Bright Lights,’ ‘Rhubarb’

Perpetual The more leaves you pick, the more new ones emerge from the crowns of these sturdy plants. Popular in Europe, green-leafed perpetual chard bears mild-flavored greens over a very long season. ‘Perpetual,’ ‘Verde da Taglio’

To learn more, see All About Growing Swiss Chard.