Swiss chard is not yet familiar to everyone, although it is quite widespread. Only the leaves of this plant are edible. To grow it on your site, you should familiarize yourself with the characteristics of leaf beets, as well as the necessary care for the plant.
Few gardeners plant it on their plots. Although it is healthy and perfect for eating.The leaves of the plant are not inferior to table beets in their content of nutrients and vitamins.
Growing chard is similar to growing ordinary beets. The existing differences relate only to planting and some issues of caring for it. This is a fairly unpretentious plant and produces crops all year round if grown in a heated greenhouse, and in open beds - from early spring until frost.
Description of chard
Swiss chard belongs to the Amaranth family, to the genus Beetroot. All parts of the plant are suitable for food, excluding the roots. This culture is popular in European countries, Japan and the USA.
Characteristics:
- In the first year of cultivation, this plant produces only green mass, and in the second year it forms seeds.
- The leaves taste like young beets.
- This plant is characterized by increased resistance to cold climatic conditions. It grows successfully at an air temperature of +6–7 degrees. This property makes it possible to sow seeds in open ground starting in April. If planting is carried out in mid-summer, then the greens are harvested in the autumn.
Sowing of this crop is carried out both by seed and using seedlings in order to obtain an earlier harvest.
Please note that sowing chard can be done in the fall in order to collect fresh greens in early spring.
Basic care requirements
This variety of greens does not require special growing conditions. But in order to get a harvest in the form of large leaves, you should water regularly and apply a small amount of mineral fertilizers dissolved in water. It is not recommended to use nitrogen fertilizers because they cause the accumulation of nitrates in the foliage.
The collection of leaves is carried out gradually, cutting off the lower leaves. This is a biennial plant.Therefore, powerful roots can be left in the garden bed for the winter, covered with mulch. Next year, in spring, the plant will again begin to produce shoots suitable for food.
Requirements for growing conditions
Chard grows on almost all types of soil substrates. But the highest foliage collection is in fertile areas. Therefore, when drawing up a crop rotation plan, it is necessary to provide for planting this crop in those areas that were fertilized with organic fertilizers the previous year.
Plants are planted when the soil has warmed to a depth of 3–4 cm. When sowing at an earlier date, the bed is covered with film to enhance germination. Typically, after plant germination, thinning is carried out. As the bushes grow, they are hilled to strengthen the root system.
Ways to Use Beet Chard Leaves
Since the green mass of chard contains a large amount of vitamins and substances beneficial to the human body, it is included in the diet in the same way as spinach or other leafy crops.
It is indicated for people diagnosed with diabetes, as well as those with low red blood cell levels. The use of such leaves has a positive effect on high blood pressure. It has been noticed that when green leaves are included in the diet, the immune system is strengthened, and liver function also improves.
Swiss chard greens are added as an ingredient to salads. Dense petioles are not thrown away either. They are stewed, used for pickling and even fermented for the winter.
Variety of chard varieties
Several varieties are used to grow Swiss chard. Their difference lies in the color of the petioles (green, scarlet), the ripening period and the purpose of the foliage. They are practically the same in terms of growing method.
Swiss red chard is planted starting in mid-April when temperatures are stable. The planted bed is covered with film. This method creates conditions for faster seed germination.
This variety is characterized by reduced activity in the flowering process. The first harvest can be harvested 40–45 days after planting the seeds. This variety of beet has a large rosette. Therefore, it must be thinned out as it grows. If the climatic conditions are dry, then watering is recommended.
The chard variety Izumrud has a relatively late ripening. It takes at least 2 months from planting seeds and sprouting to receiving the first harvest. This culture has small rosettes and very large, juicy petioles. They are often used for stewing or pickling.
Rules for planting and care
Preparation of beds for sowing chard is carried out in the autumn. Since the root system of this crop penetrates deep into the soil, deep digging should be done. It is optimal to dig to a depth of at least 30 cm. At this time, if necessary, add a small amount of humus and potassium fertilizer. If the soil is clayey and heavy, the leaves will be dense and rough. But if the soil is fertile enough, then it is not necessary to fertilize it.
Seed germination method
To ensure rapid germination of seeds planted in the ground, they are pre-soaked in water for 2 days. A handful of seeds is wrapped in damp gauze and placed in a warm place. If the soil is fertile and light, then soaking is not necessary.
Typically, the time for planting chard coincides with planting potatoes. At this time, the soil warms up to the required level.
In the case of planting seeds in spring in cold soil, this is fraught with the appearance of seed shoots rather than leaf mass. To protect plants from such a process, the bed is covered with film to maintain moisture and maintain temperature.
Seeds are planted in shallow furrows (about 3 cm). After 2 weeks, shoots appear. The first loosening is recommended after several leaves appear on the plants. At the same time, remove excess plants. Weaker plants should be pulled out.
This crop can be grown in seedlings. Transplantation of seedlings into the ground is carried out after the soil has warmed to at least +10 degrees.
Subsequent care consists of timely loosening the soil and thinning the bushes. Chard is watered infrequently because it is drought tolerant. Only when the soil dries out significantly is additional moisture applied.
In heated greenhouses, Swiss chard can be produced even in winter. In closed greenhouses, watering is carried out approximately once a week. At the same time, liquid mineral fertilizers are applied. Too high a temperature is unacceptable for this crop; this can cause the formation of shoots.
Methods of crop propagation and harvesting
This crop is planted not only by seeds or seedlings, but also by roots. When planting with roots, leave the growing point on the surface. They quickly take root in conditions of the required humidity and temperature, and subsequently form a green mass.
The roots are left in the soil until the next season. The bed with planted rhizomes is covered with mulch.With this method, it is possible to obtain a very early harvest; the first greens are cut already in mid-April in the southern regions.
Even after planting this plant in a pot on the windowsill, you can pick off the succulent leaves and use them to make salads. In this way, you can get a harvest of green foliage in any season of the year.
The leaves should be cut from the outside, since the rosette will continue to form a new green mass. The more leaves are cut, the more magnificent this bush subsequently becomes, releasing more and more new shoots.
Pests and diseases
Chard is considered a disease-resistant plant, but is sometimes affected by powdery mildew. This happens when planting in beds that have already been affected by a fungal infection.
The most dangerous pests are beet aphids and flea beetles. To cope with them, plants are sprayed with ready-made insecticides, infusion of onion scales or other well-known folk methods.
