Swiss chard has a great reputation among gardeners for having vitamin reach leaves and edible stems. Swiss chard is also easy to grow in a container. 

How do I Grow Swiss Chard?

Swiss chard can be directly sown in the early spring and they can continue to be sown until summer.  Spacing your swiss chard depends on what you want you plants for

• For cooking: 4-5 inches apart
• For salad greens: 1 inch apart
• For continuous harvest of outer leaves: 8 inches apart

Swiss chard may bolt in the summer heat. Keep it well watered and mulched to avoid bolting. If your chard does not bolt in it's first season, it will in it's second as it is a biennial. If you have the space, try letting it flower for the bees. 

There are many different varieties of swiss chard, try experimenting to see which varieties you like best. 

Companion Plants

Cabbage, carrots, lettuce, peas

Nutrition

1 cup: Vitamin K (374%), Vitamin A (44%), Vitamin C (18%), Magnesium (7%), Manganese (7%)

Harvesting

Start harvesting your swiss chard when leaves are 6-9 inches tall and continue to harvest them every week.  To harvest the leaves carefully cut the outer stem at the plant base with scissors.

Preparing and using

Depending on what you plan to use the swiss chard for, here is how you can prepare them:

• For salads: Clip the plants 1/2 inches at about the soil at about 5 weeks
• For cooking: harvest whole plant at soil level
• For Continuous harvest of outer leaves:  Cut off outer stalks with a knife

Helpful Tips and Tricks

Mulch your swiss chard with loose hay so they can be harvested well into winter, and remove the hay in early spring to get an early harvest.  You’ll need to plant new seeds each year as swiss chard will harvest for two spring seasons.