Page 35 - ALG Issue 3 2023

SWISS CHARD IN CONTAINERS
Of course, you don’t even need a garden to grow Swiss chard as they can be grown in containers too. Choose a pot or trough that
is at least 20cm (8in) deep as the plants have long tap roots. Add some well-rotted compost to the bottom of the pot if you can and then fill the rest of the container with multi-purpose compost. As the compost will gradually start to lose its nutritional value after about six weeks, you will need to add a liquid general fertiliser every couple of weeks or so, or alternatively, mix in some slow-release general fertiliser capsules at the start.
WATCH ! OUT FOR
Swiss chard tends to be problem-free, though you should watch out for slugs
and snails, especially when the plants are young, as they like nothing more than a young leafy green plant to munch on. Use your preferred slug deterrent control to keep them at bay.
Mature plants
materials between the plants (make sure you water the ground thoroughly first) will help to retain moisture.
You will need to cover with cloches
in autumn and winter to offer some protection from cold weather.
Harvested Swiss chard leaves
HARVESTING
It takes about 12 weeks for plants to mature but before that you can help yourself to some young leaves, always taking from the outside of the plant, leaving younger leaves in the middle to continue growing. Cut at the base of the stem with a sharp knife. In this way, you will have a crop that keeps on cropping. Young leaves can be added to stir fries whereas larger leaves can be steamed. The plants will stop growing over winter but will revive in the spring with a flush of new growth.
PERPETUAL SPINACH
Closely related to Swiss
chard is perpetual
spinach, the crop
that gives and gives
and keeps on giving.
Although it is called
spinach and tastes
something like it, this
crop is actually a beet.
You can grow it in the
same way as Swiss
chard and you can harvest it by picking the outer leaves, as and when, keeping the plant intact. It is winter hardy and not prone to bolting in dry weather like spinach can do.
It really is a good nutritious crop, especially if you are on a tight budget because it is so prolific if picked the right way – in other words, picking the outer leaves each time rather than the whole plant.
Perpetual spinach seedlings
There’s plenty to harvest
DID YOU KNOW... ?
Swiss chard has nothing to do with Switzerland itself but is native to the Mediterranean. One suggestion
is that the ‘Swiss’ adjective derives from a 16-17th century Swiss botanist Gaspard Bauhin, who specialised in plant classification.
SWISS CHARD IN BORDERS
As chard is such
a colourful plant, you can grow it in borders along with flowers and shrubs – they won’t look out of place.
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Allotment and Leisure Gardener 35