A Bit Of Help With Your Chard?
It has to be said that Swiss Chard is a rather unusual name for a vegetable that is not native to Switzerland. It originally comes from areas within the Mediterranean region and it is a member of the beet family. The leaves of the chard are best cooked in the same way as you would cook spinach and they taste similar to spinach but slightly less bitter, which many people prefer, and with a stronger hint of pepper. Lightly frying in some olive oil is great as is popping the leaves in an omelette.
One of the main things to remember with chard is that the stalks should not be thrown away or put into the compost as they make very good eating. Once you have torn the leaves from the stalks (and done what you will with them) the stalks should be washed and cut and then cook them either in just water or ideally in a stock. When cooking this way they can take on all of the flavours of the stock as well as adding a quite bit of their own. Chard can make a great difference to the normal vegetable you would have with your meal and they are certainly a little different as chard is still not as well known as other vegetables such as spinach.
When sowing, Chard likes rich and fertile soil and to stop them bolting they will require watering during the summer months. Many people say that chard likes soil that retains water however we have always grown it in well draining soil and the varieties have all grown very well however chard really does want the soil to retain moisture therefore plenty of organic matter is great for helping with this. Chard will prefer a sunny position but wants a bit of shelter as it does not need strong winds hitting it.
Your chard seeds should be sown (around 2cm deep) thinly in compost and when they get to around 2” high (4-5 cm) thin them out so that there is 1 plant to every 10cm or so. If you are sowing under glass then with a vast majority of our seeds you can sow all year round and transplant the seedlings outside when they get around 3-4 cm high. If you are sowing directly then the soil wants to be a little warmer therefore sow between April and August.
Chard will normally take around 10-12 weeks to mature and when picking we recommend cutting the leaves you want rather than pulling the whole plant. ‘Cut and come again’ will ensure the plant can stay healthy and will continue to produce leaves for many weeks. Cut off the older leaves and add to your compost or many animals love them, chickens especially. This will also help the plant to produce new, fresh leaves which should be picked when they are large enough for you.
Chard is a vegetable that can look after itself for a vast majority of the year. It is cold-hardy so the worst of the winter weather does not harm it but it will want watering during the summer months. If it is allowed to get too dry then it could start to bolt.
