PREMIER SEEDS DIRECT - Swiss Chard - Rainbow Mix - 75 Seeds - Organic

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All varieties of Swiss chard are the same subspecies of Beta vulgaris. That’s the species that also includes sugarbeets and garden beets. The two types of Swiss chard are the Cicla group, also known as the leafy spinach beet, and the Flavescens group. The most common diseases affecting chard are powdery and downy mildew ( Erysiphaceae and Peronosporaceae) as well as leaf spot disease, which is caused by fungi such as Alternaria, Ascochyta and Septoria. To combat this, remove infested leaves and plants and ensure sufficient air supply by increasing the plant spacing. This way the leaves dry more easily. The most common pests are aphids ( Aphidoidea), the bright-line brown-eye moth ( Lacanobia oleracea) and the beet leaf miner ( Pegomya hyoscyami). Young chard leaves can be harvested after just two months, and fully grown leaves after three months. Cut them from the outside of the plant, close to the soil. New leaves will shoot from the centre of the plant as the season progresses. Where to plant and place your chard We suggest organic vegetable liquid fertiliser, appropriately diluted, as the easy alternative. Weeding

Chard prefers deep, humus-rich soil in a sunny to semi-shady location. It also has a high and regular water requirement. Once you have found the right location for your chard, it is easy to care for. Watering and fertilising It’s simple to grow chard from seeds. You can sow chard seeds direct in the ground from March through to September. You will need:Young Chard leaves are genuinely tasty eaten fresh and raw and they make succulent additions to salads. I prefer to harvest mine when they’re about two inches tall because that’s the perfect bite-size portion. Troubleshooting Tips Chard is one of those vegetables that is among the essentials of increasingly-popular Mediterranean Cuisine, and that makes sense because this leafy green is a native of Sicily.

Swiss chard grows best in the cooler time of the year. Sow chard in the garden 2 to 4 weeks after all frost has passed in spring. Grow Swiss chard again in autumn, Are you experiencing a serious blast of heat? Bring your plants indoors for a bit. Indoor Plant Problems Nothing will go to waste, as everything is edible on the Chard Peppermint. Its leaves can be used just like spinach or cabbage and mid-ribs can be cooked as separate veg or shredded and added to soups and casseroles. Harvest your chard from July through to October and add this delicious variety to your favourite autumnal recipes. Growing Information Sow thinly direct into finely raked, moist, warm soil at a depth of 13mm (½") in rows 30cm (12") apart. Germination 7-14 days. Thin as required to leave 23-30cm (9-12") between plants. Chard has had a long and distinguished history. Prized for its medicinal properties as much as its culinary versatility, ancestors of this colourful vegetable supposedly grew in the fabled Hanging Gardens of Babylon, flourished in China during the 7th century BC, and were even written about by Aristotle in Ancient Greece.joegardener Online Gardening Academy Growing Epic Tomatoes : Tomato expert Craig LeHoullier joins me in leading this course on how to grow healthier, productive tomato plants and how to overcome tomato-growing challenges. Plants may overwinter and continue to provide a harvest the following spring. However, it is time to pull the plant out once it sends up a flower stalk. This is known as bolting, and when it happens, the chard will no longer be palatable.

joegardener Online Gardening Academy Beginning Gardener Fundamentals : Essential principles to know to create a thriving garden. Chard is an excellent leaf to grow in your garden. It’s an easier crop than spinach, can tolerate extremes of temperature and is very prolific. Research also suggests it can even grow in space! Chard was one of a handful of crops tested as part of NASA’s Veggie Project to determine the best way to grow vegetables for long-term space missions. Rather than starting seeds yourself, you can also get a jumpstart by buying transplants from a nursery. This option is convenient but keep in mind that it is more costly than growing from seeds. Transplants also offer less variety than seeds. To get an early start, sow Swiss chard indoors as early as 3 to 4 weeks before the average last frost date in spring for transplanting out when plants are 3 to 4 inches (7-10cm) tall.Spider mites usually scuttle around on plants unnoticed until you see the fine webbing that they weave. The two-spotted spider mite ( Tetranychus urticae) is the one that most gardeners encounter. The Chard-growing season will be more constrained in northern regions and in colder zones because you must plant seeds later in the season and you must make your final harvest before the first frost of the season.