Page 34 - ALG Issue 3 2023

vegetables
What a charmer!
HARVEST: JAN-DEC
It looks good, it tastes good, it’s versatile and you get good value for your money. Yes, it’s a charmed life with chard, says Tony Flanagan.
Swiss chard, along with perpetual spinach, belongs to the beet family (Beta vulgaris) and has been grown since ancient times. Not only are they nutritious, containing a good range of micronutrients, including vitamin C, they are one of the more colourful vegetables you can grow on your plot. The stalks, which come in a variety of colours, are particularly striking.
SITE AND SOIL
Swiss chard will do well on a sunny or lightly shaded site provided the soil
is fertile, well-draining and moisture retentive. So, in autumn or winter, make sure that plenty of well-rotted organic matter has been added to the soil. This will provide the nutrition and moisture needed to facilitate healthy growth
in your plants. Also, apply a general fertiliser to the soil a couple of weeks before sowing.
SOWING
If sowing direct, space 10cm (4in) apart, 2.5cm (1in) deep and in rows
45cm (18in) apart. July sowings can be harvested in the following spring. Water plants in with a gentle spray so as not to displace the seeds. Once the seedlings come up you then need to thin them out to 30cm (12in) between each one. The discarded seedlings are not wasted, however, as they can be added to salads.
Alternatively, start seeds off in cell-trays or seed trays filled with multi-purpose compost and plant out when they are large enough to handle, 30cm (12in) apart. This can be a better alternative as you can provide protection from strong winds, heavy rain and slugs whilst the seedlings establish themselves.
Chard seedlings started off in a seed tray
GROWING
Keep plots weed-free and well-watered – too dry and the plants may bolt. Applying a mulch of home-made garden
Keep plots weed-free and well- watered – too dry and the plants may bolt.
Young Swiss chard plants
Chard seeds are in multigerm form, a number of seeds stuck together, so seedlings will need to be thinned out
Swiss chard grows well in a raised bed too but make sure plenty of organic matter has been applied
34 Allotment and Leisure Gardener