Swiss Chard

Swiss chard is an excellent addition to any vegetable garden and wouldn’t look out of place in the ornamental border either. It is a great crop to grow with children as its bright stems are very appealing. It has a long picking season and nutritious leaves, which make this plant a great addition to salads and other dishes.

If you would like to grow your own plants from seed please view our links page.

How to grow

Swiss chard is incredibly easy to grow and is relatively low maintenance. By following the instructions below, you are sure to have a great harvest of leaves.

Position

As long as you do not plant this crop in full shade it will grow. Ideally you should plant swiss chard in a sunny spot that has some shade in the hot summer.

Soil

Swiss chard will grow in most soils as long as they are free draining and do not water log in heavy rains. Apart from this they are very undemanding plants and should grow in most areas of the garden and on most soil types. You may wish to improve soils with multi-purpose compost which will warm the soil and improve drainage.

Care

We recommend adding organic matter to the planting area and feeding plants regularly with a good well balanced fertilizer . Water plants regularly and remove weeds by hand.

Harvesting

Harvesting is a simple process and this can take part throughout the year whenever you require the vegetable. If you wish to add swiss chard to salads it is best that you pick young tender leaves. As plants mature they will get tougher and are suit ed to cooking. Use a knife to remove individual leaves, making sure that you do not cut the stem. After picking more leaves should develop and you can continue to harvest from the plants.

Top Tip

Grow some of our brighter stemmed plants on the edges of vegetable plots or borders to add interest to the garden.

Bright Lights Swiss Chard

The Bright Lights Chard is a great chard with lots of different colors on the stems. The chard grows pink, orange, red, purple, gold, or white providing a very attractive variety. It has a mild taste for a chard and is a hearty variety for growing in many different climates. Bright Lights chard is an All-American Selections winner.

Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard

The Fordhook Giant chard is a broad-leaved chard with a great tolerance for frost. The leaves are dark green and reach 24-28" long. The crumpled leaves develop on stalks up to 2.5" thick. A great producer that can keep yielding even after light frost.

Leaf Beet Silver Chard

An easily grown, nutritious vegetable providing a continuous supply of greens throughout the summer/autumn. Recommended for deep freezing. Sow in drills 1.25cm (½") deep and 45cm (1½') apart during spring/summer and thin out gradually to 23cm (9") apart. Row 9m (30'). COOKING HINT: Pick young and steam or boil like spinach. Very young, tender leaves can be eaten raw in salads or sandwiches.

Lucullus Swiss Chard

The Lucullus Swiss Chard is a delicious chard with celery-like stalks. They grow to about 28" tall. The leaves and stalks have a great mild flavor. the Lucullus is a great chard for any use.

Rainbow Mixture Swiss Chard

The Rainbow Mixture Swiss Chard is an incredibly bright collection of chard with red, yellow, orange, pink and white stems. The leaves are dark green on a slow bolting plant. The Rainbow Mixture is an ideal chard for decorative landscaping that is also edible and delicious.

Rhubarb Swiss Chard

The Rhubarb Swiss Chard has dark red stalks and deep green leaves. The leaves are large and crumpled and the plant is robust and easy growing. The leaves and stalks can be harvested continually as the plant grows.

Ruby Red Swiss Chard

The Ruby Red Chard has brilliant red stalks and veins on a consistently yielding plant. The leaves are a dark shiny green and delicious steamed. Ruby Red Chard is a great addition to salads too.

Swiss Chard Bright Yellow

The beautiful, broad golden stalks of Swiss Chard Bright Yellow are a striking and colorful addition to the vegetable garden and the flower border or containers. The sweet stalks can be steamed as a vegetable or, when young, eaten raw in salads. Swiss Chard Bright Yellow is slow to bolting and has good winter hardiness. Cropping from mid-summer to late autumn. After a normal winter, it will re-emerge to give an unbelievably early spring crop.

Try our Water Beads

Blue Water Beads

Use Blue Water Beads to match or contrast with your décor. Place them in a clear pretty bowl or decorated plate with an upturned rim. Mix with other contrast colors from your overall color scheme to pull this together as a centerpiece. It will be a real conversation starter!

Clear Water Beads

Use Clear Water Beads when you just want the delivery system without making a color statement. Mix clear Water Beads with a color to create a lighter effect. Layer them with other colors to provide more visual interest.

Green Water Beads

Use Green Water Beads as a nice understory for potted plants, or a neutral color in a clear vase with a multi-colored bouquet. Layer with Clear for a lighter touch.

Melon Water Beads

Use Melon Water Beads to enhance the color of pink or red flowers, or contrast with white ones.

Orange Water Beads

Use Orange Water Beads to spice up a room. This color works well with Southwest style decorating. Layer them with Teal and Clear for a truly stunning display.

Pink Water Beads

Use Pink Water Beads for a light touch of color to complement pink flowers or contrast with white or purple ones. Put them into a clean candle jar with a tight fitting lid and decorate a little girl’s room.

Purple Water Beads

Use Purple Water Beads in urn-shaped vase as an addition to a contemplation nook. Purple is the color of spirituality and calm, so let these beautiful Water Beads become a focal point for your meditative or prayerful practice.

Teal Water Beads

Use Teal Water Beads to complement aqua and teal colored flowers – like those interesting dyed carnations! Combine with orange and white for southwest style decorating. Combine with clear to remind you of Native American turquoise and silver jewelry.