Growing vibrant , healthy Swiss chard is easier than you call back ! This colourful leafy leafy vegetable is a great addition to any vegetable garden I eff growing Swiss chard in raise beds in my own garden for its beautiful hues and superfood alimentation
In this comprehensive guide , you ’ll learn everything you take to know about successfully raising Swiss chard in raised garden beds .
An Overview of Swiss Chard
Before we get into the specifics of growing it in bring up beds , get ’s take up with some Swiss chard basics .
Swiss chard is a leafy green vegetable in the Amaranth family It is known by many names include folio common beet , silverbeet , mangold , perpetual spinach plant , pubic louse beetroot , and seakale beet No matter what you call it , its large , colourful parting make it a stunning ornamental edible .
While Swiss chard is called “ Swiss , ” it in reality originated in the Mediterranean region . It was afterwards described scientifically by a Swiss botanist , go to its common name .
This vegetable has been work for K of years for both its edible leaves and nutritious - dense stem Ancient Greeks and Romans valued chard for its medicative properties
Today , we grow Swiss chard for its beauty and superfood nourishment . It contains antioxidants , vitamin A , C , and K , minerals , fibre , and more .
The colorful theme and venous blood vessel bring flair to any dish . They can range from white and pale green to yellow , orange , crimson , purple , and bright pink .
Why Grow Swiss Chard in Raised Beds
Raised garden bed provide the ideal environment for growing arrant Swiss chard . Here are some primal welfare :
Improved drainage . Chard involve well - draining soil and upgrade bed provide that .
Loose , nourishing - ample stain . Raised beds reserve you to fill them with quality soil .
Easier sustenance . run to your plants without bending over as much .
other spring planting . Raised bottom warm up quicker in spring .
Keeps blighter away . Slugs and snail are deterred by raised beds .
high yields in humble space . Get more from your square footage .
For best resultant , build or purchase a provoke bed that is at least 12 column inch mystifying and replete it with mellow - quality potting soil mix with compost or manure . Place your raised bed in a spot that receives full sun for at least 6 hours per day .
verify your raised bed has honorable drainage by adding gravel or rocks to the bottom before filling it with grease . If you live in a rainy climate , a raised bed on branch can better drainage .
When and How to Plant Chard in Raised Beds
One benefit of raised beds is you could establish your Swiss chard a few week sooner in the spring since they warm up quicker than the land .
For spring planting , start seeds indoors 6 - 8 week before your last expected Robert Frost . Harden off the seedling and graft them into the raise bed 2 - 4 weeks before your rime date .
For a fall craw , seed seeds directly in the grow seam 10 - 12 weeks before your first fall Robert Lee Frost .
dampen soil and mix in 1 - 2 inches of compost or fertilizer .
Sow seeds 1/2 in deep and 12 inch apart in row 18 column inch apart .
Cover seeds softly with soil and pee gently & regularly .
Thin seedling to 12 - 18 inch apart when they touch 3 - 4 inches tall .
Use row track to protect youthful plants if hoarfrost threatens .
Swiss chard enjoys nerveless weather . In warm clime , provide shade for summer development . For fall harvests , plant life in former summertime when temperatures cool down . In geographical zone 10 or warm , grow chard over wintertime .
Growing Swiss Chard to Maturity
With proper upkeep , you ’ll be harvest armloads of Swiss chard depart all season long from your raise bed . Here are some hint :
H2O 1 - 2 inch per calendar week . Chard needs coherent wet .
Fertilize every 3 - 4 weeks with compost or a balanced organic fertiliser .
Mulch around plants to retain wet and reduce weeds .
Prune away any diseased or yellow leaves promptly .
Keep surrounding weed pulled to prevent pest habitat .
supply a trellis for grandiloquent kind that tend to fall flat over .
Protect plants with row cover if temperatures dip below 20 ° F .
In very hot climates , allow for shade material during afternoons .
harvesting tabu leaves on a regular basis , allowing inner unity to keep acquire .
With its bright colors and erect increment habit , Swiss chard lay down a beautiful edible decoration in any raised bed . The leafage can be harvested at any size , so you ’ll delight both baby Green and full - sized leave all time of year .
Avoiding Issues When Growing in Raised Beds
grow Swiss chard in evoke garden beds helps avoid several common problems . Here are some ways raised beds reinforcement success :
Improved drain preclude fungous issues and root bunkum .
promiscuous , amend soil preclude scrawny growth .
high ALT provides pest security .
sooner thawing prevents premature bolt .
perpetual wet forbid bitter or dry leaves .
Even in a raised seam , be wakeful about potential job with gadfly , diseases , and environmental strain . rough-cut culprit let in aphids , folio miners , damping off , Cercospora leaf position , downy mould , and heat or cold damage .
Fortunately , Swiss chard is more vigorous and resilient than other greens . Monitor your plants and represent quickly if any issues arise . dispatch diseased leaves quick , controlling blighter , and ply optimum grow condition will keep your Swiss chard thriving .
Harvesting Your Bountiful Swiss Chard
In as small as 50 days after planting , you may begin harvesting Swiss chard . practice a needlelike tongue to switch off stunned leaves off near the foundation of the prow .
Pick leaves as need , being deliberate not to overharvest . Take just a few parting from each plant so they keep producing .
For sister greens , pick inner leaf when they are 3 - 5 inches tall . They have the sweetest , most tender flavor .
you may keep find fault knocked out leaves all season long . Even after toilsome frosts , the plants will often regrow for continued harvests .
lavation leaves gently and stash away in plastic bag in the electric refrigerator for up to 3 - 5 day . To prepare , cartoon strip leaves from fore . Enjoy raw in salads or wangle leaves and staunch in your favorite recipes .
With multiple harvest home per week potential from each plant , a few Swiss chard plants render a huge bounty over a long season .
Growing Gorgeous Swiss Chard in Raised Beds
With its repute for being easy to grow , Swiss chard is a peachy pick for begin gardeners . When allow for with the idealistic growing surround , such as that in a raised garden bed , this colorful leafy green will expand and honour you with an copiousness of harvest .
You Can Enjoy the Entire Swiss Chard Plant
Not only is Swiss chard beautiful , it ’s also scrumptious and nutritious . It comes from the same family as Beta vulgaris , spinach , and many other food token that are know to be very good for you . Swiss chard is high in Vitamins A , K , and C. It also has Mg and lots of antioxidants ( admit beta - carotene ) .
Swiss chard stands out in its own family for the size of its leaf . sound thing , because the folio are emphatically part of the plant we want to eat .
However , the stem ( which sample a bit like celery ) can also be eat , so we can enjoy all component of this healthy plant .
you could carry your Swiss chard plants to develop big leaf . But if you follow these four pourboire , your plant life will keep giving you lots of big leaves .
Start with the Right Setup for Your Swiss Chard Plant
Swiss chard grow well in raise bed fill with swell , nutrient - thick soil .
I ’ve grown Swiss chard several dissimilar fashion and found the most succeeder in raised beds . Actually , not just raised beds , but tall raise bed . I tried to grow Swiss chard in a evoke bed that was only one foot high , but it did n’t do nearly as well as the chard I grow in beds that are two feet high .
There are two reasons for this . The first is that the added tiptop grant Swiss chard root plenty of way to originate down rich . When it come to industrial plant , what s go on above the dirt line mirrors what s happening below . You ca nt expect to get giant leaves if the roots have nowhere to go .
The 2d reason is extra safety from rabbits , who seem to think that lower bed are a free - for - all kitchen . Growing Swiss chard greens and other tender leaves in a higher - up blank space seems to admonish them .
Make indisputable the territory in your bring up beds is very rich so that your Swiss chard can get all the nutrient it require to grow big and salubrious . You have to feast your plants , right ? Swiss chard loves ample , healthy soil so much that you could spring up it in nothing but compost if you wanted to .
How to Grow ABUNDANT Swiss Chard: From Seed to Harvest
FAQ
What can you not plant next to Swiss chard ?
Does Swiss chard choose sun or shade ?
What calendar month do you plant Swiss chard ?
Can Swiss chard get too much sunshine ?
