Chard

Growing

Chard is a remarkably hardy leafy green that thrives in the cool weather of spring and autumn, often outlasting more delicate greens like spinach or baby lettuce. When preparing your garden, aim for a soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0 to ensure optimal nutrient uptake. While you can sow seeds directly into the ground once the soil has warmed, starting them indoors as transplants is also a successful strategy. If you are growing colorful varieties like 'Ruby Chard' or 'Rainbow Chard', remember that these are often mixtures of different colored cultivars; while visually stunning, the classic green forms like 'Fordhook Giant' generally offer a more prolific harvest.

You can harvest your crop throughout the summer by simply cutting individual leaves as they are needed for your meals. To keep the plant producing, avoid removing the entire crown. For the best flavor, you can use the leaves raw in salads or use them as wraps, though sautéing or boiling the stalks and leaves is a great way to mellow any natural bitterness. If you plan to preserve your harvest, blanch the leaves before freezing to maintain their quality. When storing fresh leaves in the fridge, keep them unwashed to prevent premature wilting.