7 Indispensable Tricks for Growing Swiss Chard from Seed

Swiss chard is a delicious leafy green vegetable that’s easy to grow and keeps producing all season long. With so many colorful varieties available, these vibrant plants are an excellent way to add an unusual twist to your garden beds. Read on to learn all about growing Swiss chard from seed and enjoy a plentiful harvest throughout the growing season.

These low-maintenance plants are more heat-tolerant than other salad greens and can tolerate freezing temperatures. All they need is well-draining soil rich in organic matter and plenty of water and sunshine.

Swiss chard’s colorful stems come in orange, yellow, red, pink, and white. They make a beautiful addition to ornamental garden arrangements, too.

Plant Swiss chard from seed in raised beds, containers, or a traditional garden plot. It’s also straightforward to grow Swiss chard indoors. Here are a few essential gardening tips that will make growing Swiss chard from seed feel effortless.

Tips and Tricks for Growing Swiss Chard from Seed

Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla) is also called silverbeet in some countries. It’s in the Amaranthaceae plant family alongside beets, quinoa, and spinach. As a biennial plant, it grows roots and leaves in the first year, then produces flowers and seeds in its second season. However, the leaves turn bitter and stringy after the plant flowers.

Swiss chard plants are wonderfully versatile and grow well in full sun to partial shade. While the plants grow fastest in full sun, they also benefit from protection from the hot afternoon rays. They need five or more hours of direct sunlight throughout the day.

These plants tend to be heavy feeders. Add a layer of organic compost to your garden soil a week or two before planting Swiss chard seeds. Swiss chard plants prefer neutral to slightly acidic soil with a pH level between 6 and 7.

Since they have shallow root systems, chard plants suffer when competing with weeds for water and nutrients. Use organic material like bark chips, grass clippings, leaves, or straw as mulch around the plants to minimize weed growth, insulate the soil, and retain moisture.

Swiss chard contains high levels of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. It’s an outstanding source of fiber, which aids in lowering cholesterol and supports heart health and weight loss. Calcium, magnesium, and potassium help with regulating blood pressure. Vitamin K is vital for bone strength and healthy blood clotting.

Swiss chard comes in a fantastic array of colors and flavors. Plus, trying unusual cultivars that aren’t available at the grocery store or farmer’s market is always fun. Here are a few top types of Swiss chard for home gardens.

Best Varieties of Swiss Chard

• Bright Lights (hybrid mix, mild flavor, bright green leaves with rainbow stems, bolt-resistant, 20 inches tall and wide, 55 days to harvest)
• Fordhook Giant (heirloom, earthy flavor, dark green leaves with white stems, bolt and disease-resistant, 36 inches tall and wide, 60 days to maturity)
• Orange Fantasia (heirloom, sweet flavor, 18 inches tall and wide, bright green leaves with orange stems, bolt-resistant, 55-65 days to maturity)
• Peppermint (hybrid, robust flavor, dark green leaves with striped pink and white stems, bolt- and disease-resistant, 20 inches tall and wide, 55-65 days to maturity)
• Red Rhubarb (heirloom, sweet flavor, dark green leaves with red stems, mild flavor, 24 inches tall and wide, 50-60 days to maturity)

How to Plant Swiss Chard Seeds

Sow Swiss chard directly in your garden beds or containers for the best possible results. Since the plants are such fast growers, there’s not usually much advantage to starting Swiss chard seeds indoors.

Like other plants in the amaranth family, Swiss chard seed pods each contain a cluster of several individual seeds. Speed up germination by soaking chard seeds in water for 24 hours. Doing so breaks down their protective outer casing.

Plant Swiss chard seeds one inch deep and six inches apart, then cover them lightly with a mixture of soil and compost. They usually germinate in five to seven days. Make sure the soil temperature is above 50℉ when planting Swiss chard from seed. Seeds germinate slower in cold soil.

Once your seedlings are three or four inches tall, thin them out to a spacing of eight or ten inches. Use the thinned seedlings as microgreens. Or, try transplanting the seedlings you pull up. To plant Swiss chard seedlings, gently loosen the surrounding soil and remove them with as many roots intact as possible. Next, create a new planting hole with your fingertip. Gently place the roots into the hole and lightly press the soil around the stem’s base.

When to Plant Swiss Chard Seeds

Plant Swiss chard seeds in early spring, two or three weeks before your region’s forecasted last frost date. Warm the soil by covering it with dark-colored mulch, compost, or black plastic for a week before planting seeds.

Sow Swiss chard seeds for a fall crop in late summer, around 40 days before the first frost date. The plants can withstand temperatures down to 15℉. Use a cold frame or floating row covers to extend your growing season. It’s possible to grow Swiss chard throughout the winter in mild climates.

Swiss chard generally grows best in cool weather with temperatures between 60-75℉. However, the plants rarely bolt in hot weather. Their growth slows down when it’s above 85℉, then picks back up in late summer.

Ideal Soil and Fertilizer for Growing Swiss Chard From Seed

Swiss chard plants grow best in well-draining soil with plenty of organic matter. They need consistent moisture, but the ground shouldn’t stay waterlogged. Use mulch to preserve soil moisture, protect against erosion, and minimize weeds.

On top of cultivating healthy soil, Swiss chard benefits from getting a few applications of nitrogen-rich fertilizer throughout the growing season. Use an organic, slow-release granular fertilizer every four to six weeks. Feed the plants every three or four weeks when using liquid fertilizer.

Growing Swiss Chard from Seed in a Container

If you don’t have the space for a garden plot or raised beds, don’t worry. Swiss chard is also easy to grow in a container garden. The technique for how to plant Swiss chard seeds in pots is the same as in-ground plantings.

Plan for 12 inches of space for each plant, and ensure that your container is at least 12 inches deep. Use a pot with drainage holes to lower the risk of rot and fungal diseases.

Harvesting Homegrown Swiss Chard

Start harvesting microgreens or baby leaf chard after about 30 days, or once the plants reach six to eight inches tall and have at least ten leaves. Regular harvesting will encourage faster leaf production.

The “cut-and-come-again” approach is the best way to harvest Swiss chard for most of the growing season. Trim up to half of the outer leaves as needed and let the inner leaves continue growing. In late fall, cut the entire plant several inches above the soil level.

In most growing climates, it’s possible to overwinter Swiss chard for a second harvest in the spring before the plant starts flowering. Cover the stems with several inches of mulch for insulation. When leaves begin emerging in the spring, carefully rake the mulch off the plant’s crown.

Solving Pest and Disease Problems

While Swiss chard plants are usually low-maintenance, monitoring your plants for signs of distress is vital. Healthy plants are less sensitive to attacks from pathogens and insects, so getting appropriate levels of water, light, and nutrients is their best protection.

Swiss chard plants’ most prevalent pests include aphids, leafminers, and flea beetles. Protect the tender young plants with a cold frame or row covers for the first few weeks of spring. Doing so helps minimize feeding damage and keeps insects from laying eggs on the seedlings. To eliminate a severe insect infestation, spray all plant parts with an organic insecticide like neem oil, horticultural oil, or insecticidal soap.

The majority of plant diseases affecting Swiss chard are moisture or weather-related. The main culprits are Cercospora leaf spot and downy mildew. These fungal diseases spread quickly in warm, moist conditions and frequently spread via splashing water. Provide ample airflow between plants. Watering with a soaker or drip irrigation to keep the leaves dry is beneficial. Treat any affected plants with organic copper or sulfur fungicide.

Companion Planting with Swiss Chard

Companion planting is a garden design practice that pairs compatible plants to take advantage of mutually beneficial interactions. Numerous plants attract beneficial insects, while others repel common garden pests. However, not all plants get along well, and some must live in separate areas.

Swiss chard grows well alongside Brassica plants because they have similar environmental needs. These consist of arugula, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, Kohlrabi, radishes, and turnips. Celery and lettuce are also excellent companion plants for Swiss chard.

Their nitrogen-fixing abilities make legumes like peas and bush beans excellent companion plants for leafy greens like Swiss chard. They form a unique relationship with soil bacteria to convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, which can get used by plants’ roots. Read this article from New Mexico State University to learn more about this fascinating process.

Allium plants like chives, leeks, garlic, onions, and shallots are immensely beneficial around the garden. They repel numerous pests, including aphids, cabbage worms, carrot flies, spider mites, slugs, deer, and rodents. However, they shouldn’t grow near legumes since these two plant groups reportedly stunt one another’s growth.

Aromatic herbs and flowers provide natural pest control. Basil, cilantro, marigolds, marjoram, mint, and nasturtiums repel common pests that feed on Swiss chard plants. Alyssum, borage, dill, parsley, and yarrow attract beneficial insects like pollinators and predators. Lavender, rosemary, and thyme reportedly improve the flavor of Swiss chard leaves.

P​lant heavy-feeding crops like potatoes, cucumbers, squash, and melons away from your Swiss chard so they aren’t competing for water and nutrients. It’s also best to avoid growing plants in the same family close together because they’re susceptible to similar pest and disease problems. Lastly, ensure your Swiss chard plants get enough sunlight by planting tall crops like corn, sunflowers, and pole beans in another area.

Swiss chard is a classic favorite for many gardeners thanks to its straightforward care, heat and frost tolerance, and high nutritional value. These flavorful leafy superfoods will flourish in your veggie garden all season long and require minimal effort. Just choose a location that gets five or more hours of direct sunlight each day, plant them in nutrient-rich soil, and water regularly.

Do you have any questions or suggestions about growing Swiss chard from seed? Please share them in the comments! If you enjoyed learning how to grow Swiss chard from seed, please these gardening tips with your fellow green thumbs.