P2P Masthead

Visit our New Gardening Blog

Growing Leaf Beet and Swiss Chard

How to grow leaf beet & Swiss chard in containers, garden beds and allotments

Leaf Beet and Swiss Chard

Family/Latin Name	Chenopodiaceae - Beta vulgaris var. cicla
Type of Plant	Leaf - Crop Rotation Group = Others
Suitable for	Garden Beds, containers and Allotments

See also:- Vegetable Growing Glossary | Container Growing | Buying Seeds & Plants

Plant Dimensions	Height Up to 45cm/18" - Spread up to 30cm/12"
Yield per 1.5m/5ft row Yield per plant	+1.8kg/4lb +250g/9oz
Time between sowing and harvesting	12 weeks
Where to Sow	Outdoors - in open ground or containers
Sowing time	April - temperature +12C/54F.
How to Sow	2.5cm/1" deep, 10cm/4" apart - in rows 30cm/12" apart or in groups/blocks.
After Germination	When the plants are large enough to handle, thin to 15cm/6" apart
Growing on - in Pots	Keep weed free and well watered
Growing on- in ground	Thin to 30cm/12" apart. Keep weed free and well watered
Aftercare	Keep weed free and well watered. Remove any flower heads which may appear although this is unlikely.
Harvesting	Swiss Chard - start harvesting a few leaves with their stalks from each plant when they have reached a suitable size (about 20cm/8") Harvest outer leaves leaving central foliage to develop. Leaf Beet - Start harvesting a few leaves from each plant when they have grown to about 10cm/4". Harvest outer leaves leaving central foliage to develop.

Pests and Diseases

Companion Plants

Slugs
Indications	Young leaves are eaten - sometimes completely missing
Treatment	Organic 1. Sink small pots filled with beer to ground level. Empty daily 2. Sprinkle slugs with table salt Chemical Use slug pellets
Prevention	Avoid damp or humid sites

Companion Flower Graphic

Strawberry, Cauliflower, Celery

Create a bio-diverse environment by planting flowers nearby to attract bees, ladybirds and other "friendlies". To learn more about companion planting click here.

In the Kitchen

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days

Preparing: Remove any very thick stalks on leaf beet and wash well in cold water.Young small leaves can be cooked whole - shred or roughly chop larger leaves. The stems of chards are edible but if they have very thick stems, they are best treated as as two separate vegetables - the stems and the leaves - because the stems take longer to cook than the leaves. Snap or cut off the stems, wash well then cut into chunks, slices or dice/chop.

Cooking:

Boil	Leaves = 3-4 minutes. They should be placed in a dry pan with only the water which is clinging to the leaves from having been washed. Cover with a lid and set over a medium/high heat. It will be necessary to shake the pan vigorously or turn the leaves every 20-30 seconds during cooking. Chard Stems = 4 - 8 minutes
Fry/Sauté	Leaves = 3-4 minutes. Stir-fry until just wilted Chard Stems = 4 - 8 minutes Thinly slice or chop
Microwave	Leaves = 4-5 minutes Chard Stems = 5 - 8 minutes
Steam	Leaves = 5 - 8 minutes Chard Stems = 10 - 15 minutes Thinly slice.

For more preparation and cooking information about Swiss chard or leaf beet plus lots of recipes visit our sister site www.recipes4us.co.uk.

Private Privacy | About Us | Contact Us | Links

This Web Site was designed and created by Pots2Plots. Copyright © 2009-2013 [Pots2plots] All rights reserved.

Some Photos © www.fotolia.co.uk