How to Grow Swiss Chard

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How to grow Swiss Chard

Swiss chard is a wonderful addition to any home vegetable garden. With the many varieties there are to grow, you can literally add a wide range of colors and flavors to salads and many other recipes. Here is how to grow Swiss Chard.

How to start Swiss Chard seeds

Swiss Chard can be started indoors, outdoors in flats or even direct sown into the garden.  Plant them about 1/2 inch deep when planting your seeds. You want to get them started about 4 weeks before you actually transplant them into the garden.

Chard can also be sown before the last frost in your area if you sow them under a layer of cover.

Transplanting Tip: Transplant your Swiss Chard a little deeper than what it is in the seed cell.  No more than 1/2 inch.

Regardless of whether you started the seeds indoors or outdoors, space it out at least seven inches or so to give them and their roots need plenty of room to grow.

When using the square foot gardening method, you can plant two plants per square foot.

Related: Square Foot Gardening Spacing

Light Requirements

Swiss Chard can be grown in a variety of different locations in your garden.  It grows well in full sun, partial shade and even almost complete shade. Swiss Chard is incredibly durable.  With that being said, it will perform the best in full sun and keep you with plenty of fresh greens all year long.

Watering Requirements

Watering of Swiss chard should be moderate but consistent.  I generally water my Swiss Chard well only once a week.

Fertilizer

Fertilizing is not necessary with Swiss Chard. However, watering with a water soluble fertilizer with a higher nitrogen (N) can benefit your overall harvest.

Harvesting

You have a couple of options when they are ready to be harvested. You can harvest the larger leaves for use as a spinach substitute in soups or stews.  The younger leaves can be harvested for use in salads and on sandwiches.  You want to make sure to keep the leaves harvested to increase production and to prevent them from becoming too tough.

Also Read:  Growing Sweet Potatoes

Swiss Chard for Companion Planting

Companion planting is a very helpful tool in the organic vegetable garden.  It is a way to benefit each plant and to increase the productivity.  It is no different for Swiss chard as it makes a good companion plant for cabbage, beans and lettuce.  Bad companions for Swiss chard are beets and spinach.

Grow more Swiss Chard

Growing Swiss Chard is very easy to do in your garden.  It is versatile and very durable.  It has many uses and tastes great.

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How to grow swiss chard, grow swiss chard, swiss chard, Backyard Eden, www.backyard-eden, www.backyard-eden.com/how-to-grow-swiss-chard

Hi, I’m John.

John grew up on a farm where his family raised chickens, goats, rabbits, and grew a huge garden. John has a family of his own and gardens to know where his food comes from. Learn more..

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