Swiss Chard - A Must for the Frugal Garden

At certain times of the year a head of lettuce sells for anywhere from $2, to almost $4. In a bad year, it might get even more expensive. That's a darned good reason to grow lettuce in your vegetable garden!

Greens in general tend to be pricey these days. A small bunch of spinach will set you back a couple bucks. And don't even bother pricing baby spinach greens. Last week I contemplated buying a bunch of kale at just under $2 - that is until I saw how pitifully small the bunches were. Prices for Chinese cabbage and other Asian greens are similarly high.

Thank goodness for Swiss chard!

We grew Swiss chard in our garden for the first time last year and harvested great bunches of it about twice a week for months. My youngest was thrilled when we did our "shopping" in the garden. I later pointed out the tiny bundles of chard in the grocery store, each selling for roughly the price of my whole packet of seeds. It was clear that growing Swiss chard was a very frugal decision.

Swiss chard, beta vulgaris subsp. cicla, is a hardy green that can be direct seeded 2-4 weeks before your last frost date. Once established it withstands extremes of both heat and cold very well. Last year my chard thrived through heat and drought that killed my spinach and had my lettuces bolting in July, and we were still harvesting leaves well after the fall frosts set in. Now that we've moved to a locale with milder weather and almost no snow, I'm hoping to harvest chard right through the winter.

Chard is a frugal gardener's dream come true. It has a long growing season and will readily self-sow if it bolts. It also overwinters in milder regions, withstanding temperatures as low as 15°F. Related to both beets and spinach, Swiss chard is a wonderful substitute for the latter. The French name for the plant, bette à carde, refers to the ribs. These can be substituted for celery in recipes, or they can be prepared like asparagus spears. You might also try them in recipes calling for fennel. While the taste will be different, free chard from your garden is a frugal alternative to buying fennel at the store!

Chard leaves are incredibly versatile. They can be used as a salad green, steamed, braised, boiled or turned into soup.

Swiss chard is a fantastic cut-and-come-again crop. Gently twist leaves away from the plant, or cut them with a knife. Harvest a few of the outer leaves at a time; the plant will continue to grow fresh ribs. When weather turns colder, allow the outermost leaves to mature and harvest the leaves just inside them, preserving the growing crown at the center of the plant. The outer leaves will protect tender new growth from the cold, extending your growing season.

If you ever cut an entire head of Swiss chard, trim the ribs from the base. You can re-grow the plant by sprouting the base, the same way some folks grow celery. This is a great option for those who can't overwinter their chard. Keep the plants inside throughout the winter months, and they'll be ready to plant out before last frost in the spring.

Frugal Tips for Growing Chard

Direct seed up to four weeks before last frost. If sowing indoors, allow 4-6 weeks for seedlings to be established. Plant out roughly 3-4 weeks before your last frost date. Plants mature in roughly 50-60 days, but the leaves can be harvested around 40 days.

Chard can be grown in a square-foot garden or in containers. It is an attractive and colourful vegetable, and is sometimes grown in a flower bed or herb garden for its aesthetic value. If you grow no other vegetables at all, find a small corner somewhere for this valuable and nutrient-packed plant. The tiny investment in seeds and space is well worth the benefits you'll reap throughout the growing season.

Varieties of Chard

Fordhook Giant, Lucullus and Silverado are commonly available white-stemmed varieties of Swiss chard. Although chards with coloured ribs and veins are much prettier, their plainer counterparts tend to be more productive and will better resist extremes of both heat and cold. While bolting won't necessarily change the flavour of your chard, if you want to avoid early bolting due to difficult weather conditions choose a white-stemmed chard and direct sow. Transplants are more likely to bolt in their first year.

Multicolour chard varieties are most popular due to their attractiveness. They are sold under names like Rainbow, Five Color, Bright Lights, or Neon Lights. Single colour varieties include Rhubarb (Ruby Red,) Magenta Sunset, Pink Passion, Orange Fantasia, Golden Sunrise, and Burgundy. A newer variety called Peppermint has white stems with hot pink stripes.

Some varieties of Swiss chard do really well as a cut-and-come-again crop. These include Perpetual (Spinach Beet) and a traditional Italian variety called Verde de Taglio.

Swiss chard photo, courtesy of Wikipedia user Jonathunder, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license