Swiss Chard – Rainbow

$4.50

Pretty enough for the flower garden. Produces thick red, yellow, rose, gold and white stems that bear slightly savoyed leaves of burgundy and green. Cook the colourful stems like asparagus. Young leaves are a good addition to salads, while older leaves are delicious when cooked like spinach. You can even use the big ones to wrap “cabbage rolls”. The colourful stems can be cooked like asparagus. Grows easily and well in our climate for many months, giving a long harvest from one planting.

Price is for seed packets. 

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This item is a SEED
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Description

Botanical name
Beta vulgaris var. cicla

Family
Amaranthaceae

Spacing
Sow 5-15 cm (2-6″) apart, thin to 15-30 cm (6-12″) apart.

Depth
Plant seeds 1 cm (½”) deep.

Requirements
Does best in full sun, but can handle a bit of shade. pH 6-6.5.

Germination
Seeds will sprout in 7-14 days.

Pests
Can be pestered by slugs, aphids and leaf miners. Otherwise very resistant to pests and diseases.

Timing
Sow 2 to 3 weeks before the last spring frost date, or start seeds indoors three to four weeks before and set out seedlings after the last frost. Continue planting seeds at 10-day intervals for a month.

Growing
Water the plants evenly to help them grow better. Water often during dry spells in the summer. Mulch to help conserve moisture. For the best quality, cut the plants back when they are about  30 cm (12″) tall. If the chard plants become overgrown, they lose their flavour.

Harvest
60 days

Season
Cool, annual

Links
Simply Recipes Swiss Chard

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