Here we have GreenWave Swiss chard! If anything, Swiss chard is a must have in your garden. If you do not have it growing? What do you have?
You can never go wrong with growing this incredibly healthy leafy green and it is insanely prolific!
It has numerous uses from making your favourite creamed spinach, to making your favourite green smoothies or just plain frying or eating it raw. Whatever your preference may be. A pop of green can surely brighten up your meals and your days!
Apart from all the benefits you may get from eating it, it grows quickly so you will be harvesting it in no time.
Fortunately for everyone, it does not have too many growth requirements (yayyyy!!!)
Here is how you can get some Swiss chard into your home garden:
When to plant:
- Swiss chard can grow in any weather, any season but sowing is most preferable in the warmer months ranging from Spring to Autumn.
- If prepping your spring garden however, you can start your seeds either indoors or outdoors about 3 weeks before the last frost date which in South Africa is round about mid-August.
Germination methods:
- I’ve tried out both quite a few germination methods and they have worked equally well for me. You can either direct sow your spinach seedlings and have patience! They take their time to break ground!
- Additionally, you can try the paper towel method. Essentially this method requires taking a couple of seeds and placing them on a toilet paper and covering them and after covering them spraying water on the paper towel and wrapping the seeded paper towel in a Ziplock bag with holes so it’s damp enough to create an environment for the seeds to grow, and of course, so the seeds have oxygen (we don’t encourage unwanted bacteria here). What happens is, this method encourages germination as it provides both heat and moisture for the seed to start its journey from garden to plate.
- Lastly, another method simply soaking the seeds 24 hours before planting, to help speed up germination.
Soil requirements:
- Swiss Chard prefers loamy soil. It must have good drainage. Prior to planting your chard seeds or seedlings the soil can be amended with well-aged manure or compost to help it grow lusciously and to give it the nutrients it needs.
How to plant:
- Sow the seeds 1,27cm (½ inch) in the soil and sow them approximately from 5cm- 15cm apart from each other in rows.
When to harvest:
- Harvest when the leaves are approximately 15-2o cm in height or whatever size you would deem preferable for yourself.
- Furthermore, cut the outer leaves of your chard, in doing so you allow the plant to put more energy into supplying nutrients and growth to the younger inner leaves.
Potential issues
- There will always be enemies of progress, in life and especially in your garden. Swiss chard can also fall prey to these enemies. It is the unfortunate reality, but it is what it is. What you can do now is prevent your Swiss chard from falling prey to these enemies, you can only do that though once you know what these enemies are.
- There are plenty, ranging from birds to insects to slugs and snails. The reality is that if you have a vegetable garden, you will soon learn that you have to share your produce, sometimes even when you don’t want to. There are a range of solutions to these problems.
Until next time on the Green Thumb Bit! Happy planting and happy harvesting!
