Growing Chard

This guides shows you how to grow your own Swiss Chard from seed in a raised bed or in a container.

Bright Lights - 3 Weeks Growth

Sow: April – May
Harvest: June – August

Why Grow Chard?
Chard (Swiss Chard) is a leaf vegetable and is very popular in the Mediterranean countries. It is a very colourful vegetable to have in the kitchen garden. The young and tender leaves can be picked and so can the mature leaves and the stem can be eaten.
The leaves can be treated like spinach to cook.

Chard Varieties:

• Most Popular: Bright Lights – mixed colour stems (pink, orange and yellow)
• White: White Silver Chard from Sarah Raven
• Striking Red: Rhubarb Chard from Dobies
• Yellow: Golden Chard from Real Seeds

Growing Conditions for Chard

Chard likes ordinary garden soil in sun or partial shade.

Growing Chard in a Raised Bed

• iGrowVeg Growing Chard

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  Bright Lights - Sowing Seeds

• iGrowVeg Growing Chard

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  Bright Lights - 3 Weeks Growth

• iGrowVeg Growing Chard

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  Bright Lights - 5 Weeks Growth

• iGrowVeg Growing Chard

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  Bright Lights - 7 Weeks Growth

• iGrowVeg Growing Chard

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  Bright Lights - 10 Weeks Growth

Sowing Instructions:

1. Refer to your own seed packet or take these instructions as a guide only.
2. With your trowel or dibber, draw a row or line in the raised bed soil that is no more than 2.5cm or 1 inch deep.
3. Sow thinly so they have enough room to establish.
4. Then keep moist.
5. When the seedlings have two or more leaves thin them to 5cm for small leaves and 10cm apart for larger leaves.
6. Water well until established.

Tips on Growing Chard

Keep well watered to prevent young plants from bolting in warm weather.

Approx No of Weeks til Harvest: 12 weeks.

How to Harvest: Pull off individual leaves as required.

Vegetables to Grow with Chard:

• Winter Spinach – Another leafy vegetable which grows very well with Chard and is cooked in the same way. Sow Summer to Winter.
• Summer Radishes – Whether you like them mild, medium or hot, there’s a radish for everyone. Try Pink Beauty for a stunner, Sparkler for a dazzler, French Breakfast for a crunch.
• Pak Choi – Sow Summer to Autumn. Green or a new red leaved variety brightens up the veg plot in late summer for perfect stir-fry leaves.

Other iGrowVeg Tips and Advice Pages:

Planning Your Vegetable Garden Series

A colourful six part guide to help you plan your own vegetable garden and get sowing! Covers: crop rotation, easy to hard to grow rated vegetables, drawing a plan on paper or online, choosing seeds, putting your plan into action.

Free Resources Page

A Free downloads page of resources to accompany my Planning Your Vegetable Garden Series including plan and seed templates, pdf advice pages, all free for you to download, print and take away for your vegetable garden.

Seeds to Sow Now and Next

What can you sow now in your vegetable garden? View my month by month series which contains details on harvest dates, varieties to choose from and growing tips.

How To Grow Veg Guides

Step by Step instructions and what you will need to start sowing your very first vegetable crops with a handy photo slideshow to show you how to get started and what to expect from your seedlings.

Veg Directory

Find out more about the vegetable varieties that I’m growing, where to buy them, when to sow, harvest, special features and photos or slideshows to help you choose which variety to grow in your vegetable plot.

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