Swiss chard

Light and exposure

Chard is happy in sun as well as in partial shade, which makes it a handy vegetable to fit into the garden. In full sun it grows fast and strong, provided the soil stays cool. A slightly shaded spot during the hottest hours suits it very well and delays bolting during dry summers.

In our regions, a bright but not scorching position gives the finest harvests. It tolerates the filtered light of a north-west corner of the garden well, where other vegetables would sulk. It is a good candidate for the less sunny plots.

Watering

Chard likes to keep its feet cool. It is a plant thirsty for water, whose broad leaves transpire a lot. Soil that dries out makes the foliage wilt and pushes the plant to bolt prematurely. Water regularly, especially in summer and in pots, to keep a steady moisture.

A mulch at the base, straw, dried grass clippings or leaves, keeps things cool and spaces out the watering. In our often damp summers, watering becomes secondary, but during dry spells a steady supply avoids the slump and keeps the leaves tender.

Soil and repotting

Chard needs cool, deep soil rich in organic matter. It appreciates ground well supplied with humus, able to hold water without becoming waterlogged. An addition of mature compost at planting supports its vigorous growth and its production of leaves throughout the season.

It copes with most garden soils, including somewhat heavy ones, as long as they stay cool. In poor or sandy soil, enrich generously with compost and mulch to hold the moisture. Soil that is too dry or too lean gives puny plants that bolt fast.

Temperature and humidity

Chard is fairly hardy, more so than most leafy vegetables. It grows well in the coolness of spring and autumn, and withstands the first light frosts, which in fact make the leaves more tender. Strong heat, on the other hand, makes it bolt.

Under a mild Belgian winter, a well mulched plant often resists the cold and starts again the following spring for a second season, before flowering and running to seed. It is not fully frost-tender like basil, but a harsh winter without protection can get the better of the most exposed plants.

Pruning and upkeep

Chard is not pruned, it is picked. Harvest is done leaf by leaf, taking the largest outer stalks as needed, while the heart keeps producing new leaves. Take at the base of the stalk, in one clean cut, without pulling or wounding the heart.

This regular harvest is in itself the upkeep: it stimulates the plant and prolongs production over several months. Remove any yellowed or damaged leaves along the way to keep the plant clean and airy. A single plant can thus feed the kitchen from summer until the frosts.

Pests and diseases

Two main enemies watch for chard in our climate. The first is the beet leafminer, a small fly whose larvae dig pale, blistered tunnels inside the leaves. As soon as they appear, remove and destroy the affected leaves, and put an insect-proof mesh over the young plants to break the cycle.

The second is the slug, which loves the young plants in spring and can wipe out a sowing in one damp night. Protect the seedlings by the usual means, ash, shells, bait or evening collection. Later, a leaf spot, cercospora, can mark the foliage in wet weather, without seriousness if you remove the affected leaves.

Propagation

Chard is propagated by sowing, easy and reliable. Sow from spring, April to June, either directly in place or in pots to transplant later. What is called a seed is actually a cluster containing several seeds, hence often several seedlings grouped together that will need thinning to keep only the most vigorous.

Sow one or two centimetres deep, spacing the plants thirty to forty centimetres apart, as the plant grows large. Emergence is fast and even, one to two weeks. A plant left in place and running to seed the second year produces its own seeds, easy to collect.

Month-by-month care calendar

Green Hub tips

• Always harvest the outer leaves one by one, without touching the heart: a single plant thus produces for months.
• Keep the soil cool and mulched in summer: chard short of water bolts and stops producing fine leaves.
• A chard cluster contains several seeds. Thin without regret to leave only one vigorous plant per spot.
• Try overwintering: a well mulched plant in a mild Belgian winter restarts in spring for an early harvest.
• Watch the leaves for the leafminer: as soon as a tunnel appears, remove the leaf to break the fly’s cycle.