Chard

If you're tired of the same old vegetable side dishes, grow Swiss chard. You'll find dozens of different ways to serve it. The classic preparation is to lightly saute; it in olive oil and garlic. But also use its greens raw in salads. Or sliver the leaves and stems and had several handfuls to a pot of soup.

Swiss chard is an attractive plant, and the newer "rainbow" Swiss chards available are very striking -- and still taste great. You can even include them in a flowerbed! Although flavor is best in cool weather, chard tolerates the heat of summer quite well.

Light:

Sun,Part Sun

Plant Type:

Vegetable

Plant Height:

10-30 inches tall

Plant Width:

10-30 inches wide

Top Varieties

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'Bright Lights' Swiss chard

produces plants with a rainbow of colors, including gold, pink, orange, purple, red and white. It's slightly less frost tolerant than other chard varieties.
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'Bright Yellow' Swiss chard

forms broad golden stalks that carry their color into the leaf veins. It makes a sunny addition to the flower border.
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'Fordhook Giant' Swiss chard

bears large ruffled green leaves and creamy white stems. It's an excellent spinach substitute during hot weather. It is easy to grow and a heavy yielder.
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'Rhubarb' Swiss chard

got its name from the deep red stalks and red-veined leaves.
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Garden Plans

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Lush Foliage Garden Plan
An Eye-Catching Kitchen Garden Plan
All-American Vegetable Garden Plan
Colorful Vegetable Garden Plan
Planting Plans Inspired by the White House Kitchen Garden

Harvest Tips

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Begin harvesting chard by removing outer leaves when they reach 6 inches tall, and continue harvesting throughout the summer. Plants tolerate light frosts, so you can continue harvesting late into autumn.

Propagation

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Seed