Swiss chard is one of my favorite garden vegetables. It is largely underappreciated and underutilized, and it is very easy to grow and maintain. Chard can replace kale or spinach in just about any recipe while adding great flavor.
Favorite Variety:
How to Grow
1. Soak Seeds (optional)
You could soak seeds overnight in room-temperature water to hasten germination. I usually sow straight from the packet; most seeds germinate in about 7-10 days.
2. Plant Seeds
I’ve started chard indoors, and I’ve also directly sown chard seeds. Both methods work well. Swiss chard seeds are pretty large and easy to work with. Cover seeds with a thin layer of seed starting medium and water them in. I plant chard outside in late March (NY Zone 7b) after the danger of a hard freeze (≤28ºF/-2.2ºC) has passed.
You may have to thin or break apart seedlings. Use the thinned seedlings as you would use microgreens. Swiss chard seeds, much like beet seeds, are actually clusters of multiple seeds, each of which may sprout. You’ll want to space plants about 6″ apart.
3. Maintain Plants
Swiss chard is a “set it and forget it” plant. As long as you keep it watered, it will live. Trap any slugs in bowls of beer or sourdough discard. Feed every now and then with water-soluble, organic fish fertilizer.
Chard performs best in cool spring and fall weather. However, it will continue to produce at a slower rate in the summer, and it is much more heat tolerant than spinach. I grow in full sun for the spring and fall and provide shade during the summer with taller tomato or vertically grown squash plants. A thick layer of organic mulch will protect against temperature and weather extremes and prevent soil from bouncing back onto leaves.
I like to grow all leafy greens under insect netting for extra protection against cabbage loopers and other flying pests.
4. Companion Plants
Swiss chard is very forgiving in the garden and grows well with most other crops. Here are some crops that I find grow well near chard for their shared ideal growing conditions or pest-repelling properties:
- Green onions: deter pests
- Kale: similar growing conditions
- Garlic: deters pests
- Beans: bean roots fix nitrogen to be used by Swiss chard
- Tomatoes: can shade Swiss chard from summer sun
- Marigolds: repels aphids, attracts beneficial insects
5. How to Harvest
To help the plant generate new leaves, harvest the outer leaves and let the center leaves keep growing. Harvesting all available leaves will kill the plant.
How to Eat
1. Harvest as Needed
Try not to harvest too far in advance. For the best flavor, I highly recommend picking and using it on the same day.
2. Wash
It’s always a good idea to wash chard before eating to get rid of any extra dirt, residual fish fertilizer, and any hiding bugs. Wash using cool water immediately before use.
3. Ribs vs Greens
I often strip the greens from the ribs. Both parts are delicious and nutritious. The brightly colored ribs are reminiscent of celery. They require a bit more cooking time than the leafy greens, which can go in the pot towards the end, like spinach.
4. Favorite Uses
When the price of eggs was reasonable, Swiss chard always ended up in my breakfast omelet. There are plenty of other tasty and more economical uses as well. Blend into a potato leek soup with some kale to get a vibrant green soup. Chop ribs and greens to add color and nutrition to fried rice.
