Swiss chard
Also called Chard, Silverbeet, Rainbow chard.
| Light | full sun |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 4 days in the growing season, every 10 in winter |
| Humidity | medium |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Height | Up to 50 cm (20 in) tall |
| Pets | Cats not known, dogs not known |
Pet safety not established for this species.
Edible here means commonly eaten. Nothing on this site is medical or dietary advice.
Swiss chard is the crop to grow where spinach disappoints. It takes heat, takes cold, takes part shade, and keeps producing for the better part of a year from one sowing, which no true spinach will do. Pick the outer leaves and the plant carries on from the middle indefinitely. The coloured stemmed forms, the yellows and reds sold as rainbow chard, are as ornamental as anything in a flower border and taste the same as the plain white stemmed ones. Sow direct where it is to grow, thin to about 30 cm, and expect a plant to run to flower in its second spring, at which point pull it and sow again. In mild climates the same plants will crop right through winter with no protection.
Ailments observed
| Brown soft patches on the leaves | Leaf spot in wet crowded conditions. Thin the plants, water the soil rather than the leaves, and remove marked leaves into the bin. |
|---|---|
| Yellow leaves at the bottom of the plant | Old leaves shed as new ones come, or hunger in a container. Pick the outer leaves regularly and feed a container plant monthly. |
Filed underPlants that forgive a beginner, Plants for a balcony or a small space
Neighbouring entries
Tomato
Solanum lycopersicumTomato growing from sowing to picking, with when to start seed in each hemisphere, how much water a fruiting plant needs, and what splits the fruit.
African violet
Streptocarpus ionanthusAfrican violet care that keeps it flowering all year, with why you water from below, what makes the pale rings on the leaves, and how to root a single leaf.
Aloe vera
Aloe veraAloe vera care on a bright windowsill, with the soak and dry watering it needs, why leaves flatten or curl, and how to pot up the offsets.