How to grow swiss chard

Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris · Amaranthaceae · Vegetable

Swiss Chard is a cool-season vegetable in the Amaranthaceae family, grown either from a direct sowing or from transplants. It wants full sun, though it tolerates a little afternoon shade in hot regions and steady, even moisture. From sowing to first pick is about 50–60 days. It shrugs off a light frost but a hard freeze will damage it.

Grower’s note: One of the most heat-tolerant leafy greens - a single spring sowing usually carries through summer into fall if kept picked.

Sowing

Sow about 0.75″ deep, into soil between 40–85°F — germination is quickest near 70°F. It comes up fast (5–14 days). For an early crop, start seed indoors about 4 weeks before your last spring frost and grow it under bright light.

Spacing & layout

Give each plant about 9″ along the row with roughly 18″ between rows. On a square-foot grid that is 4 per square foot. Allow at least 12″ of loose, workable soil for the roots. It grows well in containers at least 10″ deep.

Fitting it to your season

As a cool-season crop, swiss chard does its best growing in the mild weather of spring and fall and tends to bolt or turn bitter in summer heat. A second sowing in late summer, timed to mature as the weather cools, is usually the better crop of the year — though a hard freeze will end it.

Quick facts

When to plant swiss chard

Companions

Common problems

Pests: leaf miner, aphids, flea beetle.

Diseases & disorders: cercospora leaf spot, downy mildew.

Same family (Amaranthaceae)

Rotate these so they don’t follow each other in the same bed year to year.

Figures are typical home-garden ranges from Cooperative Extension planting guides, cross-checked against multiple state sources. Your variety and conditions will vary.