ChenopodsAmaranthaceae

Swiss Chard.

Cool seasonWarm season
At a glance

The spec sheet.

Indoor start
Optional
Direct sow / out
Apr 15 – Aug 15
Germ
5–10 days
Days to harvest
50–60
Spacing
6", rows 24"
Depth
½"
Square-foot
4 per square
Qty target
6 plants for a family, harvested all summer.

Plant

One of the most productive greens for the garden — heat-tolerant unlike lettuce, cold-tolerant unlike most warm-season crops.

Care

Cut-and-come-again. Water regularly. Shade in high summer helps.

Harvest

Pick outer leaves; keeps producing all season. In NJ, harvest into November.

Preserve

Blanched and frozen. Fresh only for stems (great pickled).

Companion planting

What swiss chard likes, and doesn’t.

Good neighbors

Avoid nearby

  • Heavy crowding with beets/spinach
More in this family

Also in the Chenopods.