Learn how to grow Swiss chard in your garden.
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Pollination
Swiss chard produces tiny flowers that use wind and insects as pollinators.
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Pollination is not a concern since this is an annual crop.
you might sow directly in the garden when the soil temperature is at least 45F.
Be sure the pot has good drainage holes and fill it with potting soil.
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Add your Swiss chard seedling and water deeply.
Place the container where it will receive at least six hours of direct sunlight daily.
Water often to keep the soil moist.
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Use as Edging
No vegetable garden?
Swiss chard’s colorful stems make an attractive addition to planting beds along front borders and walkways.
you could start harvesting at any time for smaller leaves that can be eaten raw in salads.
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Or, wait until the leaves are around 12 inches long with a sturdier stem for cooking.
Remove the largest outer leaves first with a sharp knife or garden shears.
Continue harvesting single leaves to encourage new leaves to grow.
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you might eat both the leaves and the stems.
Mature leaves are chopped and cooked in sautes, soups, or stews.
Stop harvesting when the plant bolts and goes to flower.
The leaves will then be tough and bitter.
Pruning
Swiss chard does not require pruning other than removing mature outer leaves to encourage new growth.
If the plant roots are healthy, Swiss chard will regrow after cutting.
Cuttings should be taken from the oldest leaves.
This fungal disease usually triggers when conditions are warm and humid.
Use dense organic mulch around plants and water only at the base of plants, not overhead.
Leafminerswill feed on the surface of Swiss chard leaves.
They are considered minor pests, but heavy infestations can reduce leaf quality and yield.
Remove infested leaves and plants to destroy them as a primary control.
Root-knot nematodes are small colorless roundworms that infect plant roots.
If they look “knotty” discard the plant.
