SW752A - Rhubarb Chard
Pretty enough for the flower garden, this wonderful and richly flavoured heirloom variety has wide stalks and veins that are bright scarlet red and deeply crumpled leaves that are rich dark green. Cook the stalks as you would asparagus and the leaves as you would spinach, or enjoy both raw in salads. Rhubarb Chard Swiss chard seeds sown too early in spring cause the plants to bolt quickly. This reliable old variety first arrived on the market in 1857, and has been winning fans and feeding families ever since. Swiss chard is a rich source of vitamins A, K, and C, and is an excellent source of minerals, dietary fibre, and protein. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Matures in 60 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
- Pretty enough for the flower garden
- Wonderful richly-flavoured heirloom
- Rich dark green or purple leaves
- Open-pollinated seeds
- Matures in 60 days
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How To Grow
The succulent leaves of Swiss chard can be used much like spinach. You can even use the big ones to wrap “cabbage” rolls. The colourful stems can be cooked like asparagus. Enjoy the small leaves in salad. They grow easily and well in our climate and stand in the garden for many months, giving a long harvest from one planting. Follow along with this handy How to Grow Swiss Chard from seeds Guide and grow food.
Latin
Beta vulgaris var. cicla
Family: Amaranthaceae
Difficulty
Easy
Season & Zone
Season: Cool season
Exposure: Full sun
Zone: 2-10
Timing
Direct sow mid-April to early August. Chard is moderately winter hardy. Optimal soil temperature: 10-30°C (50-85°F). Seeds should sprout in 7-14 days.
Starting
Sow seeds 1cm (½”) deep, spaced 10-30cm (4-12″) apart in rows 45cm (18″) apart.
Growing
Ideal pH: 6.0-6.5. Swiss chard prefers loose, deep, and fertile soil rich in organic matter. Plenty of consistent moisture is required, especially as plants grow larger. It grows best in full sun, but will tolerate light shade in summer. A liquid fertilizer or compost tea applied twice during summer will keep chard growing well.
Harvest
For salad mix, seed more densely and cut as baby leaves. Cut individual mature stalks using the large outer ones first.
Seed Info
In optimal conditions at least 75% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 3 years. Per 100′ row: 220 seeds, per acre: 64M seeds.
Companion Planting
Beans, Brassicas, and onions make the best companions for chard.