Anything you won't grow next year ?
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retropants
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my bright lights and perpetual spinach was triffid sized until last week, before the rain, when it was covered in a mildewy kind of bloom. I cut it all down to almost the ground. Then it rained lots and it has come back all fresh and green. The leaves have been anything up to 18 inches long, absolutely massive!
Hi Weed,
I have grown Swiss Chard every year without fail since my first garden in 1943 and I have yet to have it bolt on me mid season. Even this year mine has yet head up to seed.
At the beginning of the season I start in modules and as soon as possible plant out. I plant out at 2" centres and begin pulling plants as soon as they are 4" high and I leave the strong growers for the time being. I also plant out 9" between rows and generally do 6 rows and the intermediate rows are all pulled out to leave the rows 18" apart. Having got to that stage I then go back over all the rows and again take out the weaker plants. Generally they are spaced roughly 15-18" apart. These are regularly picked even if I do not need the produce. This way I always have fresh young leaves and not hoary, tough old leaves. Any picked but not required I simply bung on the compost.
I always grow a late crop in about a fortnights time and these are all pulled as very young plants.
The Mature plants are covered with fleece during the winter and several picking are available during the this period.
Eaten at 4" high you simply pull and nip the roots off, wash and steam whole. As you may have gathered I really love Swiss Chard and I appeal to you to try just one more year 'cos to me it is very special.
JB.
I have grown Swiss Chard every year without fail since my first garden in 1943 and I have yet to have it bolt on me mid season. Even this year mine has yet head up to seed.
At the beginning of the season I start in modules and as soon as possible plant out. I plant out at 2" centres and begin pulling plants as soon as they are 4" high and I leave the strong growers for the time being. I also plant out 9" between rows and generally do 6 rows and the intermediate rows are all pulled out to leave the rows 18" apart. Having got to that stage I then go back over all the rows and again take out the weaker plants. Generally they are spaced roughly 15-18" apart. These are regularly picked even if I do not need the produce. This way I always have fresh young leaves and not hoary, tough old leaves. Any picked but not required I simply bung on the compost.
I always grow a late crop in about a fortnights time and these are all pulled as very young plants.
The Mature plants are covered with fleece during the winter and several picking are available during the this period.
Eaten at 4" high you simply pull and nip the roots off, wash and steam whole. As you may have gathered I really love Swiss Chard and I appeal to you to try just one more year 'cos to me it is very special.
JB.
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Garlic_Guy
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Johnboy wrote:Eaten at 4" high you simply pull and nip the roots off, wash and steam whole. As you may have gathered I really love Swiss Chard and I appeal to you to try just one more year 'cos to me it is very special.
JB.
Hi JB, I've never eaten Chard. How would you compare the taste & texture of the cooked results to things like Spinach and some of the alternatives that get sold as "spinach"?
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Garlic_Guy
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Allan wrote:If there is one crop that can be grown to cut at all times of the year it is swiss Chard.
Is there still time to plant it now? I'm trying to have as little as possible ground covered in plastic this Winter.
Up until now, I've beens sowing Spring Cabbage, Spinach, Mizuna etc, and garlic soon. The remaining bits will get Green Manure. If I could grow another eating crop, that would be a bonus.
Whoops - I just re-read JB's posting
I always grow a late crop in about a fortnights time and these are all pulled as very young plants.
Guess there is still time.
I've grown bright lights chard for the first time this year and would agree it's a great crop. Just one plant bolted out of about ten and it's still going strong. I think I've let the leaves grow a bit too big generally,(thanks for previous advice about picking, JB) but I did come across a really good recipe for using up the stems-boil 5 mins, blanch, mix with tub of creme fraiche and grated gruyere cheese, top with more cheese then bake in oven. (Sorry, I've just realised I should have posted this on recipe forum!!)
Is Swiss Chard a better crop to grow than Rainbow by the way?
Is Swiss Chard a better crop to grow than Rainbow by the way?
Hi Colin,
The joy of Swiss Chard is that although Oxalic Acid is present in the leaves it is vastly reduced to that present in Spinach. To me it has a more mature taste probably due to the reduced OA. It is amazing the amount you will get from a row of 4" seedlings.
It is probably too late to have plants that will last through the winter now but then I've never really tried although I do fleece the remaining plants.
People have complained about the large chards which they fail to use. I use it in all sorts of ways and one of the best is to use it is in a Chicken dish with a cheese sauce covering. I don't attempt to use all the chards but they make good enough compost.
To me it is best used as young leaves and dump the old hoary ones. I must stress that you must constantly pick the crop over to achieve this.
Do try it and I hope that you enjoy it.
Hi Jane,
I have tried all the Chards but now only grow the original Swiss Chard as the others, although perfectly good, somehow do not come up to the original. Of course this is my personal taste and others may disagree with me but put it this way if the original were not available then I would not hesitate to use any of the others.
JB.
The joy of Swiss Chard is that although Oxalic Acid is present in the leaves it is vastly reduced to that present in Spinach. To me it has a more mature taste probably due to the reduced OA. It is amazing the amount you will get from a row of 4" seedlings.
It is probably too late to have plants that will last through the winter now but then I've never really tried although I do fleece the remaining plants.
People have complained about the large chards which they fail to use. I use it in all sorts of ways and one of the best is to use it is in a Chicken dish with a cheese sauce covering. I don't attempt to use all the chards but they make good enough compost.
To me it is best used as young leaves and dump the old hoary ones. I must stress that you must constantly pick the crop over to achieve this.
Do try it and I hope that you enjoy it.
Hi Jane,
I have tried all the Chards but now only grow the original Swiss Chard as the others, although perfectly good, somehow do not come up to the original. Of course this is my personal taste and others may disagree with me but put it this way if the original were not available then I would not hesitate to use any of the others.
JB.
JB.
You have had the various methods described. It is up to you which you do, that is the beauty of this forum. Just because we give various ways of growing the same crop there is no wrong or right about it.
We start ours in modules and plant out at 9 inch spacing, done that way you don't get the thinnings but perhaps growth is more rapid. However if you do choose to sow direct you will find that transplanting to fill in the gaps is very easy and reliable. As I prefer to do as much grading as I can on the potting bench it suits me better to grow in pots or modules.
I am picking my polytunnel crop now, that will go on until it is removed from the tunnel in late spring, meanwhile the new seasons sowing will be ready to pick.The small leaves would not suit our marketing but the large leaves are in no way inferior to the cca type, you probably get more weight of crop.
Allan
We start ours in modules and plant out at 9 inch spacing, done that way you don't get the thinnings but perhaps growth is more rapid. However if you do choose to sow direct you will find that transplanting to fill in the gaps is very easy and reliable. As I prefer to do as much grading as I can on the potting bench it suits me better to grow in pots or modules.
I am picking my polytunnel crop now, that will go on until it is removed from the tunnel in late spring, meanwhile the new seasons sowing will be ready to pick.The small leaves would not suit our marketing but the large leaves are in no way inferior to the cca type, you probably get more weight of crop.
Allan
I think chard must be an acquired taste...personally I love it.
My Governor, on the other hand, thinks the leaves are too 'earthy' and she won't eat it, this comment has been made by a couple of other plotholders.
My Governor, on the other hand, thinks the leaves are too 'earthy' and she won't eat it, this comment has been made by a couple of other plotholders.
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