General
Chard is a leafy form of Beta vulgaris grown for repeated harvest of nutritious leaves and colorful stems (silver/green or rainbow types). It is cool-tolerant, withstands light frosts, and is grown as an annual though it is biennial. Compared with spinach, chard is slower to bolt and more heat-tolerant, making it reliable across a long season. Two main types exist: leaf types (Cicla Group) with broad leaves and slimmer petioles, and ‘flavescens’ or silverbeet types with thick, fleshy white or colored stems.
Light
Full sun to partial shade; 6–8 hours of light is ideal, but chard tolerates light shade in summer.
Soil type
Deep, fertile, well-drained loam enriched with compost; retains moisture without becoming waterlogged.
Water requirement
Moderate and consistent; 2.5–3.5 cm water per week, more during hot, dry spells. Mulch to conserve moisture.
Nutrient requirement
Medium to high. Benefits from nitrogen for steady leaf growth; avoid excessive fresh manure to limit bolting.
Precultivation
For an early start, sow 2–3 seeds per cell or pot indoors 3–5 weeks before the last frost (mid‑March to late April). Ideal germination soil temperature is 10–25°C; pre-soak seeds for 6–12 hours to speed emergence. Thin to the strongest seedling per cell after true leaves appear. Grow on cool and bright to prevent legginess. Harden off for 7–10 days before transplanting.
Planting
Direct sow once daytime temperatures are consistently above ~8°C and soil is workable. Sow 2–3 cm deep, spacing seeds 8–10 cm within rows; thin or transplant to 30–40 cm between plants and 35–45 cm between rows (closer for baby leaf). Transplant precultivated plants at 3–5 true leaves. Mulch immediately after establishment. Chard thrives in pH 6.2–7.5 with generous compost. Avoid planting after beets or spinach for 3–4 years.
Pruning
No true pruning is needed. Harvest outer leaves regularly to encourage new growth. Remove yellowing or damaged leaves anytime from May to October. If flower stalks appear (stress/second year), cut them out to maintain leaf production.
Maintenance
Keep evenly moist; drought triggers bitterness and bolting. Side-dress with compost or a balanced organic fertilizer in early summer and again mid‑season. Maintain 5–7 cm organic mulch to regulate soil moisture and reduce weeds. Scout weekly for leaf miners; remove and destroy mined leaves early. Floating row cover can exclude pests. Avoid waterlogged soils and overhead watering in the evening to limit leaf diseases.
Harvest
Harvest outer leaves when 20–30 cm long (often from early June). Always leave the central growing point and at least 4–6 inner leaves. For baby leaf, begin 30–40 days after sowing and cut 5–10 cm above the crown; plants will regrow. Morning harvest gives best turgor. Regular picking every 5–10 days maintains tender growth. Light frosts can improve flavor; cover or pick ahead of a hard frost (< -3°C). Cool quickly and store unwashed in a perforated bag or wrapped in a damp towel at 0–4°C for 5–7 days; thick midribs keep slightly longer.
Common issues
Bolting from heat, drought, or transplant shock—keep evenly moist and avoid high nitrogen spikes. Leaf miners (blister-like tunnels); remove affected leaves and use row cover. Slugs/snails feed on tender seedlings—use traps, hand-pick, and copper barriers. Cercospora leaf spot and downy mildew—improve airflow, avoid overhead watering, rotate 3–4 years away from beets/spinach. Nutrient stress shows as pale growth; side-dress with compost.
Rotation schedule
Rotate on a 3–4 year cycle away from all Chenopodiaceae (beetroot, sugar beet, spinach). Follow heavy feeders (e.g., cabbage) with chard only if soil is replenished. Good sequence: peas/beans → chard → roots (carrot/parsnip) → brassicas, incorporating compost between crops.
Pollination
Wind-pollinated if allowed to flower in year two, but pollination is not required for leaf harvest.
Companion plants
Lettuce, onions and other alliums, beans, peas, carrots, radish, cabbage family, calendula, nasturtium.
Incompatible plants
Other beets and spinach (shared pests/diseases like leaf miners and leaf spot). Avoid following or preceding Chenopodiaceae in the same bed.
