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How to cut swiss chard from garden


How to Harvest and Store Chard

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Chard cut come again

by Stephen Albert

Harvest Swiss chard when the leaves are tender and big enough to eat.

Swiss chard is ready for picking 30 days after sowing if you want baby leaves. Harvest chard 45 to 60 days after sowing if you want full-sized leaves with a thick midrib.

When to Harvest Swiss Chard

Cut chard with garden scissors or serrated bread knife.

How to Harvest Chard

Chard will keep in the refrigerator for about 10 days.

How to Store Chard

More tips:

How to Grow Chard.

Swiss Chard: Kitchen Basics

How To Grow Tomatoes

How To Grow Peppers

How To Grow Broccoli

How To Grow Carrots

How To Grow Beans

How To Grow Corn

How To Grow Peas

How To Grow Lettuce

How To Grow Cucumbers

How To Grow Zucchini and Summer Squash

How To Grow Onions

How To Grow Potatoes

How to Harvest and Store Kale

How to Harvest and Store Radicchio

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How to Harvest Swiss Chard

Swiss chard is an attractive and tasty member of the beet family that gives us nutrient-dense leaves with sweet, earthy flavors.

A favorite of leafy green fans, this vegetable is a nutritional powerhouse that’s typically eaten fresh when the leaves are small and tender.

And fully grown, the glossy, crinkled leaves are enjoyed as a fresh wrap or lightly sauteed, steamed, or added to simmering dishes.

The pretty leaves are broad and savoyed, creating a canopy of crinkly colors from mid- to deep green, and burgundy to purple for some of the colorful varieties.

The beautiful, celery-like stalks – often brightly colored – are fully edible, with a mild taste and light crunch.

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They add a striking vertical interest and vibrant contrast, and come in a variety of vivid colors including burgundy, mauve, orange, peach, pink, red, white, and yellow.

Plus, unlike most cool-season leafy greens, these fast-growing plants can handle most of what the summer has to throw at them in terms of heat without bolting or turning bitter.

This means you can enjoy an extra-long season of healthy, flavorful Swiss chard – from early spring right through to late fall. And the flavor even improves with a touch of frost!

To get the most from your crop, grab a comfy chair and join us. It’s time to read up on the best ways to harvest Swiss chard.

Here’s everything we’ll cover:

What You’ll Learn

Chard: A True Super Green

At the very top of the ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) scale with a perfect score of 1,000, Swiss chard ranks as a true super green along with the likes of collard greens, kale, mustard greens, and watercress.

Photo by Lorna Kring.

This excellent ranking is due to its rich nutritional profile, which includes high levels of antioxidants, minerals like manganese and potassium, and vitamins A, C, and K.

A biennial grown as an annual, Swiss chard, Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris, is a member of the beet family and is also known by other common names including leaf beet, silver beet, beet spinach, and perpetual spinach.

Easily cultivated from direct sowing or via transplanted seedlings, it reaches a mature height of eight to 24 inches. Plants can be harvested continually beginning in early spring.

A cut-and-come-again crop, new growth is developed at the core of the plant as the outer portions are removed, producing a steady supply of tasty greens.

One of the most endearing features of this super green is its tolerance of both heat and cold.

Unlike most leafy greens, it holds up well through a hot summer, and happily produces new growth even when temperatures are in the low 80s.

Above that, production can slow down but quickly resumes once the air cools.

And on the flip side, plants can withstand chilly temperatures down to 15°F! This versatility makes it a valuable crop with a very long growing season.

If your plants do bolt in hot weather, promptly cut the flower stalks close to the base, and plants will continue to develop new leaves.

For all the cultivation details you’ll need, be sure to read our guide on how to plant and grow Swiss chard.

Picking Baby Greens

Baby greens are mild and tender with no midribs. They are typically enjoyed raw in salads, sandwiches, and smoothies, or they may be added to dishes like omelets, risotto, and stir-fries.

Photo by Lorna Kring.

Young Swiss chard is ready for a first picking as soon as 30 days after sowing, or when the first sets of true leaves are about four inches in length.

To harvest baby greens, use a clean, sharp knife or garden scissors to cut the outer leaves about two inches above the soil.

With small plants, take care to not damage the terminal bud – the emerging foliage rosette that grows from the plant’s crown.

Regularly trimming away only the outer leaves ensures steady production of new foliage.

Harvesting Mature Leaves

The full-sized leaves of mature plants can also be used raw as a wrap, a garden-fresh alternative to a tortilla.

Or they can be chopped and steamed or lightly sauteed like spinach, and added to casseroles, pasta dishes, stir-fries, soups, and stews.

The ribs have a sweet flavor and a celery-like crunch. They can be chopped and cooked with the leaves, or trimmed out and then cooked and served like asparagus.

For full-sized leaves with a thick midrib, harvest 45 to 60 days after sowing.

To harvest, use a clean, sharp knife or garden scissors and sever steams about two inches above the soil.

Mature leaves can be harvested a few at a time or all at once. But for multiple harvests throughout the season, as explained above, the terminal bud must remain to keep producing new growth.

When cutting all of the mature leaves at once, leave the terminal bud in place, as well as a few inner leaves to protect the bud.

New growth emerges quickly from the crown, and picking three full crops is possible in a single growing season.

Harvest close to mealtime for the best flavor and texture.

For non-wintering plants, a final harvest can be made before freezing temperatures arrive by cutting through the crown just below the soil with a clean, sharp knife, or uprooting plants and then trimming.

Tips for Microgreens and Sprouts

Another way to enjoy the rich nutrients of Swiss chard – particularly in the winter months – is in microgreen or sprout form, which can easily be grown on a countertop near a bright window or under a grow light.

For the best nutrition, microgreens are harvested when the first pair of leaves open fully.

Plants can be reaped by cutting cleanly just above the soil with clean, sharp scissors or a knife. Or, they can be uprooted and rinsed, as all parts are edible, roots included.

‘Pink Lipstick’

‘Pink Lipstick’ seeds for growing as microgreens are available at True Leaf Market.

Storage Suggestions

Fresh chard can be stored in a perforated plastic bag in the vegetable crisper drawer of the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Chard can also be frozen, either chopped or whole. Stored in an airtight container or bag, it can last in the freezer for up to 12 months.

Canning is another option, but because Swiss chard is a low-acid food, it must be pressure canned for safe eating.

Store properly processed and sealed jars in a cool, dark, and dry cupboard for up to 12 months, and be sure to refrigerate after opening.

Garden-Fresh Goodness

Nutritious and delicious, Swiss chard is fast-growing and hardy, shrugging off summer’s heat as well as freezing cold temperatures.

For the longest possible growing season, remember to pick only the outer foliage to enjoy a continuous supply of garden-fresh goodness from early spring into fall.

And don’t forget about microgreens or sprouts for the winter months!

Do you folks have a favorite variety of Swiss chard? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

And for more information about growing the leafy green goodness that is chard at home, be sure to read these articles next:

Chard or chard. My growing experience is Alenin Sad

It seems to me that for most uninitiated and inexperienced people in gardening, the word " chard " will first of all be associated with the surname :) The name of this leaf vegetable sounds unusual for our hearing :) And it immediately seems that this is something so exotic, unusual and, probably, very tasty! But if you say "leaf beet" , then somehow immediately and boring and not interesting :( "Well, what kind of nonsense ... And I don’t really like root beets, but then there’s also leaf ... Fu and fi!" But in vain! By the way, in my free (!) Translated from German, this plant will be called - " something golden "! And by the way, the difference between ordinary beets and chard is obvious - on the left there are two leaves of chard, on the right - beets:


var. vulgaris ) almost never seen? The answer is very simple: because didn't work out that way historically :) But in vain! Now I'll tell you why in vain:

  1. Chard is unpretentious to soils, does not require a large amount of organic matter;
  2. Chard is cold hardy;
  3. Chard is very productive;
  4. Chard is not very picky about moisture;
  5. Biennial chard, with good cover you can get foliage from early spring in the second year after planting;
  6. Chard is very healthy and low in calories!

Have I convinced you that this plant deserves your attention? Should we "rewrite history"? Then I will share how I grow chard in my garden :)

Seeds and varieties of chard

Since chard is not just relatives of ordinary beets, but is practically the same as , only with large leaves and a small root crop, then seeds they have the same !

There are not so many varieties of chard . And you don't need much! There are also not many varieties of table beets, relative to tomatoes ... And why, if the plant is not whimsical, it is almost not affected by diseases, pests do not favor it, etc. And who needs beets with strawberry or pineapple flavor ???! Also with chard :)

In principle, chard is divided into petiole and leaf varieties ... Although, after all, the petiole will also have leaves! And the leaf petiole :) It's like with celery. Why sow leaf, if there is root and petiole ??? The leaves are the same for all :)

The main difference between the varieties is the color of the petiole and leaf blade. Here, for example, grade White Silver (White silver) with white juicy and fleshy petioles. This color does not give an unpleasant brown color to the whole dish during heat treatment. Therefore, I use it much more often in cooking.

But the variety Rhubarb Chard (Rhubarb Chard) is completely different, more like a beetroot, the petioles are bright beet color, the leaves are dark green with burgundy . .. It is obvious that plant is rich in anthocyanins , which have recently been gaining popularity , because are anti-cancer agents. For their sake, they even invented purple potatoes :)



And the variety Pink Passion (Pink Passion) is one of the most decorative! The petioles are bright pink, the leaves are green with pink veins... My favorite:)


Which grade should I choose? I am not puzzled by this question and sow everything at once! Because I don't just eat chard! I decorate my garden with them!

Sowing chard

You will find a lot of information on the net about how to grow chard, but in this article I will only talk about my personal experience in growing chard.

Sowing of chard can be carried out both in open ground and for seedlings in a box that can be placed in a greenhouse or on a window sill in an apartment. Since this plant is cold-resistant, sowing in open ground can be started in our area already in early April, when the soil will warm up to + 8-10 degrees . But remember - it's important! - when undercooling, the plants will bloom in the first year ! Moreover, hypothermia is dangerous in this regard for plants in May-June, and not during sowing !!!

The second important nuance: one chard seed will give several shoots , and the distance between mature plants must be at least 30 cm ! Therefore, when sowing immediately in the garden, do not forget to thin out the chard , leaving one shoot at a time. By the way! For a family of four, is enough 2-3 chard bushes to eat! Everything else will be superfluous :) Appreciate your work!

If you want to use chard in an ornamental garden or in a flower bed , then it is much more convenient for you to sow it on seedlings in April and then, with a couple of true leaves, transplant it where you need it and at the right distance! I do exactly that. I take a few seeds, make a deepening 2 cm deep in a box with soil with my finger, put the seeds there, fill it with soil and wait for the shoots :)


When the seedlings grow up, approximately in mid-May , I plant them in beds and in garden containers or planters with a lot of spacing between them, because huge and powerful plants will grow from such crumbs! Leaf beet tolerates transplanting very well and even the most stunted seedlings start to grow very quickly under favorable growing conditions.


Conditions for growing chard

As I wrote, chard - unpretentious plant . He has a developed root system, so he will get water himself! He does not have excessive requirements for the nutritional value of the soil. On the soil rich in organic matter, it will certainly develop powerfully, but at the same time it will accumulate a lot of nitrates! That's why it's better not to feed him at all :) Light is important for him , but he will also survive partial shade. This can be used when planting it in containers to decorate the garden. But in the shade, it will again accumulate nitrates ... Therefore, if you plan to eat it, then plant it on not very nutritious soil in the sun and do not water it very much;)

Since the plant is cold-resistant there is no need to cover its . And this property can be used! If you cover the plant well for the winter, then in early spring it will begin to grow and supply us with useful vitamin leaves, like sorrel, rhubarb, and chives. But only until it blooms :) Because - this is a biennial plant . And you can cover it simply - cut off the leaves and spud heavily with soil .

Chard in mixed plantings, in an ornamental garden and in garden pots

The topic of using chard to decorate a garden is very extensive, because, you see, is a beautiful plant ! In order not to overload my story, I wrote an article about the use of chard for decorative purposes: Chard, or leaf beet, as an ornamental plant in the garden, vegetable garden, on the balcony

Here I will only show how chard can be perfectly used in mixed plantings. Like other plants of the Marev subfamily, he is a friendly neighbor :) I never make a special bed for him! Look at the photo. This is a bed-rabatka :) Chard is planted in the background, medium-ripening cauliflower is in front of it, then celery with nasturtium, small-fruited strawberries and marigolds are in the foreground:


And in this photo I have already removed the cabbage and the chard "spread its wings ":) It will grow until late autumn, decorating the garden until the frost kills it!


Here is an example of chard combination with leeks :


And here is chard growing in my high garden:


How to harvest chard?

In the first year of cultivation, I made a big mistake when harvesting chard. .. I pulled out the whole plant! As a result, I immediately had a bunch of leaves with which I had to do something! And only later I found out that leaves just need to be torn off at the base of as needed !!! The main thing is not to touch the growth point, i.e. a few small young leaves in the center. From such a procedure, the chard will only become more beautiful :) I specially shot a video to show how to do it correctly:

How to cook chard?

If you don't like chard, then, as the old ad said, "You just don't know how to cook it!" Because varieties of chard you will find a lot of ! In our family, we use both leaves and stalks of chard. You can keep it fresh for a short time , because it just fades. .. If you put it in polyethylene, it will last in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Petioles will lie for a week. But, since now many have a freezer, all surplus products can be frozen for the winter ! To do this, petioles need to boil until half cooked, and leaves blanch for a couple of minutes in boiling water. By the way, they will remain green , like spinach, with which chard is so often compared. They are though are very similar in taste and texture! It is not true that the leaves will not lose their volume! They will even lose it, look at the before and after photos:



Fresh and frozen chard leaves can be added to any soup, stew, pie , use as garnish or filling . Perfectly can be used as a addition to scrambled eggs, frittata and scrambled eggs ...

And in this article you will find a couple of my recipes with a photo: Chard dishes

Petioles can be stewed and boiled in salted water, used as main course or carnivory. Another pickle them . But I didn't like pickled chard because it was too stringy and tasteless :(


In general, turn on your imagination and cook this delicious, healthy and low-calorie vegetable!

And if you liked my article, please tell your friends about it on social networks (buttons on the left)!

planting, care and use

Do you know what chard is? Despite the widespread culture, not all gardeners in our country are familiar with it. In fact, this is the same beet, but only its leaves are eaten.

If you want to grow it in the garden, in our article you will find all the necessary information about sowing and caring for chard, and photos and videos will help you learn about the culture and learn the skills to care for it.

Contents:

  1. Swiss chard chard: planting, care and propagation
    1. Features
    2. Care instructions
    3. Conditions
  2. Use of beet chard
  3. Chard varieties
    1. Red chard: planting and care
    2. Chard Emerald - growing from seeds
  4. Planting and care (features, rules, etc. )
    1. How to grow from seeds
    2. Greenhouse cultivation
  5. Propagation and harvesting
  6. Diseases and pests

Swiss chard: planting, care and propagation

Cultivation of Swiss chard is not yet very common in our country. Although this vegetable is bypassed completely undeservedly. The leaves contain many vitamins and nutrients, much more than in ordinary table beets.

Features

Growing and caring for chard is a simple matter, because, in fact, this vegetable is just a type of beet. Accordingly, sowing and further care is also carried out. But since the culture is still considered leafy, some differences in planting and care in the open field, in comparison with beets, still exist (Figure 1).

Figure 1. External features of chard

First of all, it is characterized by high cold resistance: its seeds successfully germinate even at a temperature of 6-7 degrees. Therefore, sowing can be carried out both in early April and in mid-summer to get fresh greens in the fall.

Note: Thanks to its resistance to low temperatures, winter sowing is also possible in order to harvest fresh greens in early spring.

Planting can be carried out both directly by sowing seeds in open ground, and through seedlings. The latter method will allow you to get an earlier harvest.

Care instructions

Chard does not require special care. But, if you want to get large leaves, it is advisable to water it regularly (in the absence of natural precipitation) and sometimes apply weak solutions of mineral fertilizers. For these purposes, it is advisable not to use nitrogenous fertilizers, as they lead to the accumulation of nitrates in the leaves.

See also: How to grow basil on the windowsill and in the open ground

In the process of cultivation, you can gradually cut off the outer leaves. So the plant will be more lush. Since it is a biennial plant, the strongest bushes can be left for the winter, covered with a layer of mulch. In the spring, the bush will release new shoots and the greens can be harvested again.

Conditions

Any soil is suitable for growing, but the bush grows more magnificently on fertile soils. That is why one of the key conditions is sowing after crops, under which organic fertilizers were applied.

Planting is carried out when the soil warms up to a depth of 3-4 cm, but if sowing is carried out earlier, it is better to cover the bed with a film to activate germination. As a rule, seedlings need to be thinned out, and large bushes should be hilled up so that the stems are more stable.

Use of beet chard

The leaves of the crop contain many vitamins and nutrients. That is why it is recommended to include it in the diet along with spinach and other green crops.

Leaf beet is very useful for people with diabetes, anemia and high blood pressure. In addition, it strengthens the immune system and improves liver function.

Chard cultivars

There are several chard cultivars that differ in stem color (eg scarlet or green). Growing these crops is practically no different, but there are still some features.

Red chard: planting and care

Red chard is sown in mid-April, when the temperature is relatively stable. It is advisable to cover the bed with a film so that the seeds germinate faster (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Red chard

This variety is resistant to flowering, and the first harvest can be started as early as a month and a half after planting. Since it forms a fairly large rosette with large leaves, crops are necessarily thinned out, and moderately watered in dry weather.

Emerald chard - growing from seeds

Growing the Emerald variety from seeds will take a fairly long period of time, since this variety ripens relatively late. Approximately 2 months pass from the moment the first shoots appear to the harvest.

The culture is characterized by a compact rosette with medium-sized leaves. Petioles are very juicy and large enough, so they are great for stewing and pickling (Figure 3).

Planting and care (features, rules, etc.)

A bed for a plant is prepared in the fall. To do this, the earth must be dug very deeply, since the plant has a long and branched root.

Note: The optimum loosening depth is at least 30 centimeters, but if possible, the soil can be worked deeper.
Figure 3. Chard variety Izumrud

It is desirable to introduce fertilizers into the soil: humus, nitrogen and potassium. This condition is not necessary, but if the soil is fertile, the leaves will become juicy and tasty. On heavy clay soils without top dressing, the leaves become too rough.

How to grow from seeds

Before planting, the seeds are soaked in water for two days or wrapped in damp gauze. But on fertile soils, seeds may not be soaked, they germinate even without it (Figure 4).

See also: Features of growing dill at home

It is best to sow it at the same time as potatoes, in sufficiently warm soil. If the ground is cold, the plants will not produce leaves, but arrows. With early sowing, the bed must be covered with a film to maintain temperature and humidity.

Figure 4. Soil preparation and sowing of chard

Seeding depth is no more than 3 centimeters. Shoots will appear in two weeks. After the formation of several leaves, loosening and thinning are carried out, removing the weakest plants.

The crop can also be grown from seedlings, following the example of beets. But in this case, the sprouts are transplanted into the ground later, when the ground temperature reaches at least 10 degrees.

See also: Growing horseradish at home: ways, methods, technology Watering is practically not required, since the culture is highly resistant to drought. But, if the soil becomes too dry, the soil will have to be additionally moistened.

Greenhouse cultivation

Chard is also suitable for greenhouse cultivation. Due to the fact that the culture has minimal care requirements, you can get a crop of fresh greens even in winter (Figure 5).

Note: You can make a bed in a greenhouse not only with seeds, but also with roots. They are buried in the ground at a short distance from each other and sprinkled with a small layer of soil, leaving the growth point open.

When planted with rootlets, the crop takes root faster, and the stable temperature and humidity of the greenhouse accelerate the growth and maturation of the leaves. However, the room should not be allowed to be too hot. If the temperature rises above 20 degrees, the plants will start throwing arrows.

Figure 5. Growing in a greenhouse from seeds and seedlings

Indoors, it is advisable to feed the plant with liquid fertilizer and water moderately (about once a week). Under these conditions, it can be grown in a greenhouse not only in summer, but also in winter.

Propagation and harvesting

Proper cultivation and care of chard will produce fresh greens from early spring to autumn. Moreover, culture can be propagated not only by seeds or seedlings, but even by roots. They can be planted in a pot and put it on the windowsill. So you can get a harvest even in winter.

Figure 6. Harvesting of chard

Harvesting is carried out throughout the growing season (Figure 6). The leaves are cut from the outside so that the outlet further forms a green mass. The more leaves you cut, the more lush the bush will become. Roots can be left in the ground for the winter, covering them with a layer of mulch. So you can get the first crop of greenery in early spring.

Diseases and pests

Chard can be considered resistant to diseases and pests. Most often, it is affected by powdery mildew if the sowing was carried out on a bed with plant debris infected with fungal spores.

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