Growing Chard from Sowing to Harvest
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ก.ย. 2016
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It’s easy to be charmed by chard - it looks stunning, is very easy to grow and is one of the most versatile vegetables in kitchen.
Chard leaves make an excellent spinach substitute while the stems can be cooked just like asparagus, so you essentially get two delicious crops for the effort of one.
In this short video we’ll show you where and how to sow chard, the best way to care for it and, of course, how to enjoy it!
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I grow Chard on my balcony in Taipei...provides lots and lots of delicious salads or steamed. BTW, my name is Chard! :)
That's super - it was meant to be then!
Great video,,, I have some seeds coming on.
TIP: at the end of the season let one of the spinach or chard plants bolt to seed. Stake it if necessary to keep it in place... All the seeds will drop around the mother plant and you will get a whole bunch of seedlings growing at slightly different rates that you can lift & replant in a more appropriate setting... they are the crop that will establish by autumn and overwinter ok, however they will grow fast in spring when weather warms, and being early will bolt, but will give a much needed early crop.
Great tip there - thanks for sharing.
Another option for the stems of the chard is to slice thinly and dehydrate for winter use in soups, stews and other dishes. I often dehydrate the chard stems, tomato peels (from canning tomatoes), onion, peppers and garlic. Then grind them all up into a coarse powder for seasoning. It's great!
Awesome idea!
heeeey! home made "Mrs. Dash!" seasoning
Sounds interesting
Chard leaves make a very tasty spanakopita, especially if you have some mint to add in. Quick, easy, healthy - and even good warmed up the next day. Can't wait for my chard to get big enough!
It's such a versatile green for sure!
Thanks for this video! I have grown chard for the past few years and I absolutely love it. It grows prolifically against the north side of my house where it is in the shade during the hottest part of the day. In fact, I grow many greens in this shady spot and they all do very well. I have more greens than I can eat from May to October (even later for the Siberian kale, which continues to grow through light frosts) - and I still eat greens every day.
For Swiss Chard, I don't separate the stalks and leaves. I just chop it all up, sautee it in butter for a minute, then put the lid on the pan and let it steam for a few minutes with the water that was on the leaves from washing. I top it with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and this is a favourite side dish for my lunch each day. Cooking it all together means that the greens are completely wilted and soft, but I like it like that and I believe it is healthy to cook greens well as it denatures the oxalic acid, which can be difficult for our bodies to process.
Thanks for sharing Laura. Sometimes simply cooked like you suggest is best!
Laura B Great tips. Thank you. I’ve just started growing some, they’re 1 week old, mid spring here in Perth. Looking forward to eating my own greens instead of wasting $$$ on lettuce and salad leaves.
@@susanlisson7066 I agree, lettuce and greens are very expensive considering how quick and easy they are to grow!
i just let them seed and do their thing and now i have them growing everywhere without having to do a thing, also if you leave the dry stalks alone they sprout new leaves after a while, i never pull any out as they grow again from the root stock.
Great tips, thanks Alex!
Thanks. I want to do that too.
That's awesome! 😃🌎✌️
This incredible type of plant managed to live through the WINTER in south of Sweden! No cover or anything, I found it this spring among it's dead friends and beside came hundreds of little babies 😀 So now we can eat from this plant again and very early! 😀😀👍👍💗💗
That's really great to hear. It's a very tough plant!
One tip that I recently learned from my Dad, is the control of leaf miners, an insect larvae that likes to burrow between the layers of the chard leaves. They leave patches on the leaves, that are almost see through and kind of brown. If you see any of these patches, remove any damaged leaves (or just part of the leaf) and discard (but not in the compost). Then keep an eye out on the backsides of the chard leaves for clusters of tiny white eggs. If you see any of these egg clusters you can just rub them off with your fingers. If the leaf miners really get a good hold in your garden, they can make a mess of your chard.
Thanks for the great video!
Thanks for the heads up on these Megan. You might also be interested to check out www.bigbughunt.com where you can report any bugs (good or bad) that you spot on your plants.
Megan Burger Yes, it is such a challenge to grow Swiss chard in San Rafael, California because of the leaf miners. This is one of my favorite vegetables. I continually check each of the leaves for those elongated white eggs and rubbed them off.
Interising info Megan. I think I've seen what you describe on spinach, but I'm not too sure. Great to know though.
Megan, thanks for the tip.
i have been enjoying generous crops of chard leaves from last years plants that have overwintered without any problem.
south of scotland.
Nice one Dave!
I was stuck without celery and onions one weekend and had some chard from a neighbor. The stems were a great substitute for onions in a tuna salad and yummy to dip in salsa and dip. They are on my 2017 list!!!!
We eat chard in so many ways! Love the stalks lightly steamed then put in an oven safe pot covered with a bechamel sauce and grated cheese. Leave it until the top looks golden and enjoy! Also make swiss chard pie (called Pascualina where I live). Also eat them as empanada filling or in omellets. Stalks are also good if you dust them in flour first, then egg, then bread crumbs and fry them for a minute or so.
Pies and empanada filling use leaves mostly but you can also chop thin stalks
Great culinary tips, many thanks! The béchamel sauce chard sounds sublime!
Thank you. What joy!! a childhood favorite.
I'll be growing this for the first time this fall! Thank you for this wonderful video! That chard looks amazing with that egg!!!! I'll definitely have to try that!
Yes, definitely give it a grow - it's very easy and very prolific.
Tip: If you hate chard, grow them anyway.
Pick them off and use them as mulch to cover any open patch to your garden.
A living root is always an invitation for worms and good soil microbiome.
Stop composting, and just bury them underground where you are planting your next crop.
Put them in a blender, add water >>> free slow release fertilizer.
Free chicken or pet food.
Give them away to people who loves them and build relationships.
Let them bolt and attract beneficial insects.
Stop composting and just chop and drop them.
If you're creative plant them spelling out: "Will you marry me?" or "I'm dumping you!"
If you ever run out of toilet paper ;)
Very comprehensive set of reasons to grow chard there - thank you!
If you ever run out of toilet paper the best replacement is by far 'cowboy toilet paper' or mullein leaves. They are soft, gentle, and absorbent. They even come in two or three ply.
I love the way you think
Wait why stop composting tho? Is composting bad? I’m
Haha this is great. That’s basically what my mom has always done.
Trying chard first time. Thanks for your encouragement.
I love chard, tried it once when we were kids. Loved them ever since. I don't buy them at the store. I think they want too much.
My tip is using the big leaves as a wrap for gluten free wraps. You can put anything inside like hard boiled eggs, variety of lunch meat & tuna or chicken salad. Yum and very low carb. Enjoyed reading all the tips. We moved to Florida and I had to plant a new garden, so now im having a hard time being patient for them to grow. 😂
That's a great way of using them. Good luck with your new garden - how exciting!
Ben, oh my word, I have been rooting through your back catalogue of videos as I love them all so dearly and here you are giving us all a master class from 8 years ago on the lovely, lushous and leading beet based cropper for my wok!
I need to work on my alliterations but I'll get there eventually with your 2 for 1 lessons - 1 for growing 1 for bang on, brilliant and best ways to alliterate!
All the very best. I'll see you on the next one.
PS 750,000 subscriber goal is just a matter of time now! You grow, we grow, plants grow, we all grow together!
See you on the next one!
Thanks so much for your kind words - and yes, I love my alliterations! Happy gardening! :-)
Just planted some in 2019 April 1st... Can't wait. Thank you.
Frank Keller I just planted some April 2020
This was the most fun gardening video I’ve ever seen!!!
I also grow mine in pots, and when I'm ready to plant them outside, I put the pots in water for several hours, so they are very well soaked, and then in stead of thinning the seedlings out where several have sprouted from the same seed and discarding them (usually two or three come up from each seed), I just separate very gently them and plant them all apart. Thisonly works when the soil is very wet, hence the soaking.
My favourite recipes are:
Omelet with onion, chard and bacon
Pasta with chard, bacon, pine nuts and chili
Chard with béchamel sauce
In all recipes I thinly slice the stems and start cooking (boiling, steaming or frying) them a few minutes before I add the chopped leaves. They add some crunchy texture to the dish.
Loving those recipes - really showcases chard. Lovely stuff!
a confession first - I've not grown chard yet - simply bought it from the local farm shop, but here's two cool ways to cook it: first separate the stems from the leaves and use them to make fabulous gayettes de provence, then use the leaves to make dolmades and serve them together - scrumptious!
Hmm... sounds yum!
Give recipes please.
Love Swiss Chard! Had leaf miners last year, though....beet greens and the chard. So hard to deal with, but still got some good harvest - takes alot of time to try to stay on top of, and I tried not to let any get down onto the soil to come back next year (although I crop rotate always which should help). I love to fry mine (leaf and stem) with onion and tomatoes and some spicing - my favourite is curry powder, cumin and some type of salt additive.
Hmm, that sounds like a great way to cook it up. I had a big nuisance with leaf miners last year too, especially in my beets/beetroot. It seemed to be a bad year for them.
5yrs on and still the right the video for me
I want to try to grow chard in my garden. Thank you for the video. i didn't know that the Chard stems are edible too, and come in different colors. That is so cool!
It’s such a fantastic veggie!
Here's my hint: They are great in green smoothies! Put the whole leaf & stem in.
Absolutely. Love kale, chard and spinach in smoothies. And it's soooo good for you too.
Wow! I will definitely try them in my smoothies,,, Great hint,,, thanks 😊
I so love your videos, Ben! Thank you for all you have taught me. Greetings from San Francisco!
Thank you so much for letting me know. I hope you are enjoying a fantastic start to the growing season. Happy gardening! 😀
Beautiful Chard! Just harvested my first chards. I am about to cook a chick pea and chard soup for my family. To many more to come! Thank you for the lovely video. Blessings and peace to you all!!🙏
That sounds delicious!
have sone thriving in the fall garden buynhad never used before. Can't wait to start cooking them soon!
I'm going to plant my seeds today. Thanks for this great video 👍🥳
Wow! Learned a lot... Can’t wait to taste! Thank you
Thank you for the video. Now I will go out to my garden and plant some Swiss chard.
What an amazing video. Quick, informative and entertaining! I love chard and just planted it. My wife hates it but loves asperagus. Your cooking idea for the stalks may very well seal the deal! Hooked first 10 secs of video. Subbed after first video. Thank you from alberta Canada!
Welcome on board, thanks for joining!
"Nobbly seeds" - a tasty expression for these little burr-looking seeds. I really like your separation of the stems and leaves - I do this even with my lettuce; cutting the leaves coarse and the stems fine.
Haven't had luck in the spring with Chard but in our fall garden (new video on our site) they are actually doing quite well. I'll have to update as we 'grow' into the fall.
As always - love your tips and seeing your backyard garden there on the other side of the 'pond'. I suspect your UK weather is similar to ours here near Portland OR, where we get 90 something inches of rain a year. Thanks again!
Thanks for your comment. Chard is such a worthwhile crop to grow. Incidentally, spent a happy nine months in Portland - and very similar climate to the UK as you suggest. Great growing weather!
Wow -- Small world - ...that you've spent substantial time here. I'm still getting used to the rain & humidity myself, ...we came from a dry Sacramento California. Just shut down the summer garden here, video on the site showing that process and the planting of Crimson Clover as a cover crop - it gets massive here; about 18" high & really gorgeous, vid shows them from last year too. Don't know if I've seen any videos from you on cover crops. Anyway - sure works great here - almost completely blocks out the weeds and scrumptious to the soil as it gets turned in come early spring. All the Best, and keep your wonderful videos coming. ;-}
New gardener here. Thank you for the lessons!!
Thanks for watching Laura. :-)
Growing it now for the first time in my new raised beds and it’s going great. Amazing stuff. I make a wicked soup out of it. Add some spinach into it as well and Popeye doesn’t stand a chance.
thank you for another wonderful video.
Excellent explanation -------- thank you!
Lmao he was just casually chillin in his garden and saw a camera like ahh hello
I did like chard that share with my family at home.
A great way to maximize nutrient intake is to juice chard. Smells similar to cut grass. I mix with apple and carrot juice. Pretty intense, though. Would not recommend consuming on an empty stomach. In Chile, we mince and put into omelettes. In fact, chard is one of the the most typical greens families eat on a weekly basis here.
Great recommendation - so good for you!
I can't get around to eating all this stuuuuff! :) I will have to try what you suggested now since you made the effort to cook for us too. Thank you for the great video. I have no clever suggestions today. Chard is a new food for me and i didn't know what to do with it. I like nibbling on a raw leaf sometimes. Have a wonderful weekend!
Juice it!
You missing out on a great tasty veg!
My family, (kids too), like the way I make chard. It might be more palatable to prepare it this way as well. Sautee diced onion in a skillet with whatever type of fat/oil you like, we often use bacon fat, until tender. Then, I coarse chop Chard, (fine chop the stems), Bok Choy, Kale and sometimes spinach. Cook this mixture down and then at the last min or so, sprinkle with some type of vinegar or red wine. It's so good!
Sounds yummy!
enjoyed your video
Good ideas!!
Some advice. One seed will equal one to three seedlings. Break off all but one seedling. Another piece of advice. One seedling will grow into a prolific plant that will provide one meal of chard per week ( two adults and two kids). Sow only what you will eat. I find that three plants are more than adequate as they produce all season from mid June to November if sown indoors in Mid March and planted outside under a cloche at the end of April. So don't over seed to keep from having to thin unnecessarily. I have found that one seed package given me enough seed for 5 seasons so far and I have an equal amount of seed leftover. That means .99c (CDN) for 10 years of swiss chard. Not bad. Almost eating for free.
Those are very economical tips, thanks for sharing.
Very useful.
Most excellent 👍👍
I didnt know that one seed pod contains 3-4 seedlings. Now i have 12 chards emerging from (3 seeds) that i planted
Yes, most chard 'seeds' are in fact seed capsules containing more than one seed. I sow a few 'seeds' as you never know if the entire capsule is going to be viable or not. You could probably get away with just one seed per pot, but sow a few extra pots in case of none-germination.
1st year of growing chard. I found it's been eaten a fair bit with little holes (although not netted). But if I leave the outer massive leaves to be 'attacked' this seems to protect the inner fresh leaves.
That is often the way with a lot of leafy vegetables. Such as Chinese cabbage as well. Good way of protecting the inner leaves.
You limeys are lucky with the long growing season you have...its tougher in Canada
We are very lucky it has to be said. Particularly with our cooler, well-behaved summers too.
i did in pot and it failed it grew out a bit then nothing, som now am about to try again as my new seeds just poped so going to put them in the garden now. o and spacing lol i dont use that
First time trying this year wish me luck
Very best of luck Stephen. I'm sure you'll ace it.
Just growing some of this hydroponically as don’t have much garden space.
Trying to grow it for the first time
I've had it in my garden for about 10 yrs now, they sow themselves..if you have the space for it. after the plant gets older, the seed appears, I Allways let the wild birds have a go at those, it's fun to watch the flocks of sparrows, and there is allways enough seeds left. Delicious in spring, the new leaves are wonderfull.
Suzy Qgirl what zone are you in
@@collinolguin5772 I am in Europe, Eastern part of the Netherlands on the German border, we have very warm summers here, up tp 32/34 degrees, bur not every year. We are living close to the Rhine-delta, which means natural rich clay, the chard does hardly need taking care of. Ask me more, I'll help you. What zone are you in??
Suzy Qgirl I’m in zone9 and live in so cal
@@collinolguin5772 You should do fine then? Warm enough.. but do you have some half shady place for them? Mine grow partially under a birch-tree. If you have a problem with dry weather, water them on the roots.
Thank you very much for the informative video. Really enjoyable to watch. Learn a few things. Is August is the right month to propagate seeds, please?Thank you.
It is a bit late, but you may get away with it, so I'd sow as soon as you can so you have young plants to set out by the end of the month. Good luck!
i have never had my swiss chard go to seed. Wish it would though
Here's s a great Swiss chard recipe. Swiss Chard Salad on Alexandra's Kitchen site.
Can I I pick them and store in h2o for a couple of days till ready to use???
Yes, that's exactly what I do. They tend to wilt quite quickly though, so if you have the space keep them in water in the refrigerator.
can u start sowing chard now in the uk? would it survive winter in the Nottingham region? or would you need a greenhouse for them?
Probably best to wait until spring now - unless you can buy in some young plants to get into the ground straight away. Some garden centres do sell them for planting now, so worth a look.
thank you :-)
Nice ! Can you also tell more about pest control ?
Chard isn't that prone to pests, making it a very easy crop to grow. You may get some nibbles from slugs and snails, and occasionally leaf miners. Here is some advice on these anyhow: www.growveg.com/pests/us-and-canada/plant-problems/spinach-pests-identification/
@@GrowVeg thaankss :D !!
Hi Ben, what size leaf’s is a good size to start picking?
Any size to be honest - just make sure to leave enough leaves on the plant to keep it powering flowered.
I am Montagnard indigenous I love chard eat raw or cook.
My chard got a bit leggy initially. I put it under a grow light and stopped that, but the plants haven't recovered fully. Their first true leaves are looking good, but the stem is a bit floppy and most of them don't stand straight. Should I just ditch the bad ones and start again?
If you have enough seedlings it's worth discarding the weakest. But the plants may firm up and grow more upright once they're a bit bigger.
Is it usual for the seedlings to be a bit leggy at the start? I started them off in seed modules almost a month ago and they are still spindly and toppling over themselves a bit, but wondering if this is normal and eventually they thicken up?
Yes, they do tend to get a bit sturdier and more upright as they grow on. I would do my best to keep them in as bright a position as possible however, until you are ready to plant them out.
@@GrowVeg thanks!
"dipped in egg yolk, yum!" , I don't know about that....I love it steamed with butter, salt & pepper. Freeze it for winter dinners.
Any pests other than slugs and snails Ben? Thanks Nick 👍
You sometimes get leaf miner, which eats away along the inside of the leaves, leaving a trail. They aren't a major problem, just unsightly. Some years are worst than others for leaf miners.
What do you do about leaf miners that ruin the leaves so they can't be eaten?
See Megan Burger's tips on leaf beet also in the comments section.
Tried "Rainbow Chard" in spring, all died. Probably my fault for planting them too close to much larger veggies that over-shadowed them :-(
Is it too late to plant some more now? (Sep 23rd). I'm in the UK.
It is getting a bit late I'm afraid. You are probably better off waiting until spring now - unless you can buy in some young plants to get into the ground straight away.
Hi! I wanted to find out if chard can be grown in countries like India, where we have a rather hot and dry climate most of the year.
In theory, yes. You may need to grow it in a shadier part of the garden, however, and make sure the soil is kept moist to stop the plants bolting.
Hi, just make sure to apply mulch around your plants ... ie. straw, hay or leaves etc. I’m in Perth Western Australia and our climate gets very hot during summer so I top up all my chilli pots with mulch & it makes a huge difference. It conserves moisture so you won’t need to water every day unless it’s a heatwave and the plants look dehydrated. I know this is a late comment & I hope you had success with chard. Mine are just 1 week old so far. My first time growing chard.
Do i need to feed the chard plants?
If your soil is quite fertile anyhow and has been improved with plenty of compost or similar organic matter, then further feeding shouldn't be necessary.
Which month is suitable for growing chard
Late April and May are the very best months for sowing it (in the UK anyhow).
here's a "clever tip"...dont cook the chard immediately after harvest!!! put them in rhe freezer for about an hour first to CHILL them. Then steam or boil them. the difference is amazing!
Great tip, thank you. Will give it a try!
What's the idea behind this?
What’s the difference? Flavour? Texture? Something else?
Wow I have never eaten the stalks just throw them away, what do they taste like? I only have the white stalks variety not the colourd ones.
They have a fairly neutral taste, like the leaves. So they don't taste of much. But they have a lovely texture.
I just read that the white is more tender than the colored stalks.
what bug will damage this plant?
The main pest that is most common is the leaf miner. But it isn’t a major pest
How long does it take to collect a swisschard seed?
Swiss chard often produces seed the same year as planting. But if not, then the following spring, so a maximum of around 10-12 months.
@@GrowVeg Thank You
Can it be eaten raw in a salad with other lettuces or spinach?
Yes, you could eat the younger leaves like this, but generally the leaves are better cooked.
I get leaf miners every time. spinach too. I can't keep up with them. Seems like every leaf has damage.
See Megan Burger's tips on leaf beet also in this comments section.
A wise gardener once said if the bugs are eating it then it means it’s good! A little leaf damage is nothing. It all gets chopped up in the end. I rinse all sometimes three times, bag and it keeps fairly well in frig or just fine in freezer. Also, seems like if I cut the outer stalks, it opens up the middle and keeps the bug damage at a minimum. Obviously really chewed up leaves get tossed.
I love chard. Unfortunately, so do our local deer. Spraying repellant ruins the taste of the leaves, so I'm out of options for now.
Is there any way you could grow them under netting or in a cage of chicken wire or similar?
chard is silverbeet?
Yes, chard and silverbeet are essentially the same plant. There are lots of different colours of chard though, not just white-stemmed. Pink, red, yellow...
Whats the difference between chard and spinach, seems like we call white stemmed chard =spinach here in South Africa 😅
Maybe. Chard, or Swiss chard, seems to have much thicker stems. It also crops for a lot longer. Spinach is the far quicker-growing, leafier crop. Both excellent though!
Can I get chard from beets?
Chard and beets are very similar vegetables. You can eat the leaves of beets and use them in exactly the same way as chard.
You have to really like watering , chard is so thirsty.
does that grow in a hard frost?
Chard will tolerate reasonable frosts, but it does tend to die back down in really hard frost, or the leaves blacken. Often the centre of the plant will be fine though, with new leaves sprouting again once milder weather returns.
thank you for your substantial and prompt reply.
I have heard and read that once the chard is established growing in the ground that it will wilt temporarily, but recover when the sun is out. Also, if it is insulated with mulch or a cover, then the chad will last you a winter...
I mean, it's a win-win crop since you can practically grow it all year, it's very healthy and very delicious.
I am high as shitt bro. I dont know how the fuck I came here but thanks for the tips
Hey no worries! Be sure to try growing some veggies once you're back down to earth!