This blog post is about growing and harvesting chard at home. Chard comes in many different varieties there is Swiss chard to the massive big ones. When it is in the season they appear in fruit and veg stalls. Chard has got a mild flavor in them. Young tender leaves don’t need cooking and can be eaten like salad leaves.
Chard also comes from the same family as perpetual spinach. It is different as the stem on chard is thicker than the perpetual spinach. The best thing about growing chard is that they appear in the garden all year round with much care. This especially once they are established and the core (young tender stems) of the plant not been harvested.
Growing and harvesting chard.
To grow chard is pretty simple. Try to get hold of some seeds sometime around March or April. Sow them indoors by the radiators. It is possible to buy young seedlings however they need protection when they are young. The young seedlings don’t survive the early morning cold frost. Once the risk of frost is over. Grow them in a sunny spot with some manure compost. They don’t much fertilizer added just water them regularly. To protect them from slugs as slugs love to eat them.
Once they mature the leaves are ready to harvest. Don’t cut off the whole plant with its core young stems and leaves. Do leave some of the core leaves and stems so that they can grow more leaves and stems in the future. Do leave too late to harvest as the stems mature they become stringy and are tough to chew.
The young leaves are great to eat as salad and so is the young tender stems. The much more other leaves have to be cooked as they are too tough to eat raw. One simple way to cook it is to blanch it hot boiling water for 2-3 minutes.
Thank you for dropping by, do have a look at my other home growing posts like growing dwarf purple beans and perpetual spinach.
