Chard 'Rhubarb Chard'

Beta vulgaris vulgaris

Beautiful as it is versatile, easy to grow, high yielding, winter hardy and highly nutritious - chard is almost a must-grow in the kitchen garden. This eye-catching heirloom variety has bright scarlet-red stalks and veins and deeply crumpled dark green leaves. Chard has a mild taste like a cross between beet leaves and spinach.

Swiss chard is an excellent source of vitamins A and K and a good source of vitamin C, magnesium, antioxidants and fiber. Cook the stalks as you would asparagus and the leaves as you would spinach, or enjoy both raw in salads. Young tender leaves are preferrable for use in sallads. Harvest larger leaves from the outside.

Pre-cultivation: Not recommended, chard does not transplant well.

Direct sowing: After last frost - August. Water before sowing and keep moist until germination. Sowing too early can result in bolting.

Harvest through late autumn, winter or early spring if covered and the winter has been mild.

Chard can be slow growing at first but a reliable producer once established.

Thrives in nutrient-rich, porous and well-drained soil. Does not tolerate standing water. Do not allow to flower.

Swiss chard is a cool weather plant and if sown earlier in the season can be cut back in late summer to rejuvenate for fall production. 

Keep well watered, Swiss chard is fairly heat-resistant with sufficient water.

Trivia - in spite of often being called Swiss chard, chard is not native to Switzerland at all! It originated in Meditteranean Europe.

Plant spacing: 15 cm / 1 plant per GreenStalk pocket

Sow depth, cm: 1-3

Location: Sun to partial shade

Bi-annual in milder climates of if given winter protection, otherwise grown as Annual

Number of seeds: 40