Vibrant swiss chard

Swiss chard is one of my most favorite and reliable year round vegetables to grow.  I have had great results with it wherever I have lived in San Diego County.  Whether you choose to put in ‘Fordhook Giant’ white chard, shown in the fore front below or any of the more colorful varieties, you can’t go wrong.  Some of the other choices out there include ‘Bright Lights’ rainbow chard which is highly ornamental because of the different colored stalks.  An old standby is the red chard, which you can find year round in the grocery stores.

When spinach starts to fade in the heat, chard will keep growing strong with consistent water and plenty of organic matter added to the beds.  My summer crop is located where it intentionally receives a fair amount of shade during this part of the year.  And it is so beautiful.  The tender, smaller leaves can be used in salads and it’s a great spinach substitute for recipes in the kitchen.

Germination:  Usually germinates between 5 – 10 days.

Harvesting:  Roughly 35 days for salad greens to 56 days for mature leaves.  You may pick from the outer leaves, while leaving the rest of the plant in the ground to continue to grow.

Sauteed Swiss Chard: Roughly chop, rinse and spin in salad spinner.  Saute 1 small onion in a few tablespoons of butter in a dutch oven until soft.  Add in a salad spinner full of chard and cook about 15 minutes or so until cooked down quite a bit and tender, stirring occasionally.  Add salt and pepper until taste.  Nutrient rich, easy, quick, and delicious.

Young white and red swiss chard