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James H. Schutte
Chenopodiaceae
BETA vulgaris ssp. cicla 'Witerbi Mangold'
Swiss Chard
The mild and delicious Swiss chard, 'Witerbi Mangold', is a large-leaved heirloom with broad stems and large, savoyed, dark green leaves. Harvest can begin 60 to 70 days after seeding and leaves gathered all season long, though they taste best in spring and fall when days are cool and nights chilly. This is a short-stemmed variety that's not well-suited for bunching. Harvest healthy, mature leaves by cutting them cleanly at the base. These have a short shelf life, so eat them quickly!
Swiss chard is planted for its big crinkly leaves that can be eaten in salads, soups or simply steamed or sautéed. Usually grown as an annual, it is a true biennial. Unlike its cousin the beet, chard is not grown for its fleshy roots but for its large edible leaves and fleshy stems that can be harvested all season. If not pulled in the first year, plants will produce spikes of unimpressive flowers in the second.
This is an easy vegetable to grow. It prefers full sun and fertile, slightly alkaline garden soil. It is quite heat tolerant but flourishes in cooler seasons. In fact, the leaves may become bitter in extremely hot weather. Plants may be directly seeded or transplanted into the vegetable garden. Sow chard a few weeks before the last frost date in temperate zones and in the winter in warm, frost-free areas. Feed with a balanced fertilizer and water regularly.
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12 - 1
6 - 10
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Vegetable
Full Sun
12"-18" / 30.5cm - 45.7cm
1'-2' / 0.3m - 0.6m
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Europe
Neutral, Alkaline
Well Drained
Loam, Sand
Salt
Fast
Average Water
Clump-Forming
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Insignificant
Green
Tan
White, Green, Dark Green
White, Dark Green
No
Yes
Coarse
Glossy
Edible, Herb / Vegetable
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