Swiss chard

[WendyC]

May I make another suggestion, don't grow it. I grew it one year not knowing what it tasted like. That year "chard" became a swear word in our house, even my husband, who isn't the least bit fussy, refused to eat it. Even now even the mere mention of the c word gets a reaction!

[stubedo]

lol wendy, yea I dont think it tastes that great! I was just glad to grow something last year!. My rabbits won`t even eat it! but if you fry it in garlic & add it to soups etc, its alright :-)

Stu

May I make another suggestion, don't grow it. I grew it one year not knowing what it tasted like. That year "chard" became a swear word in our house, even my husband, who isn't the least bit fussy, refused to eat it. Even now even the mere mention of the c word gets a reaction!

[Bren In Pots]

It just goes no where I've started them in pots and planted them out at a reasonable size it does nothing then dies the biggest success with them was when I planted them out in a pot!!

I wonder if it didn't like having its roots disturbed you could try growing it in newspaper pots.

[marchogaeth]

I think some types are fussier than others. The least fussy I have found is the so called "Bright Lights" mix.

If you are having problems then go back to absolute basics. Sow it straight into the row whenever the seed packet says is best for outdoor sowing (sorry I do sow it all year round). I would station sow and then put bottle cloches on the top to mark the place they're due to come up as much as anything but it will get them going.You can then harden them off as the weather improves. The seeds are naturally multigerm so be prepared to thin the seedlings if you sow three at each point. Once you get a row like this going it will crop all year near enough and you can start letting it self seed. I have always found it virtually slug proof once it's got going.

At the mo' I run a bed in the poly tunnel which gives me a constant supply of small tasty leaves. I pull it up about once a year if the plants get to straggly and put in new ones. My eldest took a pot of about 9 plants to uni' where they survived and cropped in an over heated room with almost no light for most of last term. We brought the pot home at Christmas and I stood it in the tunnel ready to re plant but it's all come back again!

[Kristen]

May I make another suggestion, don't grow it

Personal preference though, same as any other crop, isn't it? We eat loads of Chard, and find it a very useful crop; it grows really well in the greenhouse over winter and is our main crop filling the Hungry Gap in spring. For folk that haven't tried it they won't know if they like it, or not, until they do

I wonder if it didn't like having its roots disturbed you could try growing it in newspaper pots.

I haven't found it fussy in that sense, I grow it in 9cm pots and then plant out when my [heavy] soil can be worked and is ready for planting out and not had found that they mind the transplanting.

I think some types are fussier than others. The least fussy I have found is the so called "Bright Lights" mix.

Also not been my experience. We grow Bright Lights, the bog standard red Ruby Chard, and White / Silver / Sea Kale (which has wider ribs and the birds seem keen on).

Sorry, don't know why the O/P is struggling with it as, like others here, we find it reliable and easy to grow.

[stubedo]

Kristen, does sea kale taste much different to other kale?

Stu

[Chippy Minton]

May I make another suggestion, don't grow it. I grew it one year not knowing what it tasted like. That year "chard" became a swear word in our house, even my husband, who isn't the least bit fussy, refused to eat it. Even now even the mere mention of the c word gets a reaction!

Same here, my daughter shivers at the very mention of the 'c' word Have a lot of sympathy for this though, never been able to grow radishes despite everyone saying they're easy, always bolted until last year ... success

[Kristen]

Kristen, does sea kale taste much different to other kale?

I don't think what I grow is Kale ... just the name on the packet. I think there are confusing names for Chard - Leaf Beet, Perpetual Spinach (or is that actually something else?) and also this one which is "Spinach Beet - White Silver 2 - Sea Kale"


What I grow definitely tastes like Chard - if that helps? We strip the leafy bit off and cook as per Chard / Spinach, and put the ribs in an asparagus steamer to accompany a separate meal.

Here's the packet / name:


Beet (Leaf) Silver or Sea Kale Seeds - Suttons Seeds and Plants

[stubedo]

oh that packets confusing! but i know Silverbeet is what the australians call chard. not that it says silverbeet on the pack, i guess i made it more confusing

[marchogaeth]

Sorry, don't know why the O/P is struggling with it as, like others here, we find it reliable and easy to grow.

Which is why I tried to offer some help and some thoughts. Darcy is in quite a different part of the world and on different soils to some of the people who have posted (I know VC is more local than me) and so could perhaps have a different experience. I've got one lot of seed from a really reliable supplier that I find fussier than others, it's slower to germinate for one thing.

[darcyvuqua]

Which is why I tried to offer some help and some thoughts. Darcy is in quite a different part of the world and on different soils to some of the people who have posted (I know VC is more local than me) and so could perhaps have a different experience. I've got one lot of seed from a really reliable supplier that I find fussier than others, it's slower to germinate for one thing.

I have bought some cloches this year to sow direct hoping that if I don't move it after sowing and give a good addition to the clay soil I will get something.

I have tried chard before it really is my cup of tea I love it.

Which Is why I really want to get a crop from it this year


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[Alison]

I usually sow some seeds in stations direct in April and then also put some in modules as back up at the same time. Last year the modules weren't needed at all and the plants just sat around for ages in the back garden and so rather than throw them away I planted them in the polytunnel last autumn. Can't say they've done much but I'll probably get a couple of pickings off them before I pull them up to make room for something else that really needs the tunnel space. Outdoors I do OK, they certainly never become the huge plants that some people talk about and no variety I've ever grown is ever hardy enough to survive a proper winter so I don't understand why some people get it to last all the way through. This year the plants are OK but we've hardly had a frost and no sign of snow at all so it's not really had much hardship. One thing that helped me is when I realised that it doesn't matter if they bolt, the leaves don't go bitter like they do with things like spinach so I just now cut off the woody stem and let it go again. Seems to work well.

[Two_Sheds]

My chard is all self-sown now, and I picked a carrier bag full of it today, now that the young central leaves are sprouting again

[Kristen]

Can't say they've done much but I'll probably get a couple of pickings off them before I pull them up to make room for something else that really needs the tunnel space.

I would expect them to start giving you a good crop from now onwards (until you turf them out in favour of summer crops).

[darcyvuqua]

Ok so my chard has just popped through fingers crossed this is my year


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