Have you ever wondered what other unique vegetables are available on the market? Sometimes the typical choices such as carrots and cabbage just won’t do for that day, which is why you might be seeking out new vegetables to try out. An example of this vegetable is the swiss chard. What exactly is swiss chard? And when to harvest swiss chard?
When talking about which of the greens is the healthiest out there, the swiss chard is certainly a good match for this position. This plant is being grown worldwide because of its ability to adjust and be grown in poor soils and for its low need for water and light. Swiss chards, despite having the name Swiss on it, is not native to Switzerland but is native to Mediterranean regions.
Along with the other members of the beet family, this plant provides you an abundance of vitamins and minerals. Swiss chards are loaded with vitamins such as vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin C. This plant contains the following minerals such as calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, and sodium. With all of these benefits in mind, what’s not to love about this plant? Plus, the swiss chard is extremely low in calories, making one of the best food for weight loss. Like most vegetables, the swiss chard is a lovely addition to your nutritional needs, especially with its great-tasting leaves and stems.
Swiss chard is a vegetable that closely resembles another common vegetable called the beet. It has green leaves and a light green stem, though the stem can also come in colors of red and yellow. It originally grew in the town of Sicily, before it was seen in other continents around the globe. Its taste is similar to that of lettuce, spinach, and kale, and both its leaves and stems are edible.
With the variety of the Swiss chard, this plant can be a great ornament for your garden with its different colors while it is still being grown. The good news for you, this plant can be easily be grown and won’t require much maintenance. So give yourself a try for this vegetable.
1. Growing swiss chard from seed
Just thinking of how much benefits swiss chard can be quite exciting and you may want to start planting immediately. However, before you even start planting, you first have to choose which variety to plant. There are factors to consider when choosing which variety is best to plant, and these factors can range from climate and your preferences.
The colorful variety is not tolerant of cold weather, as such, it is suitable in warm and mild climates. While on the other hand, white-stemmed varieties on the other hand are tolerant to both cold and hot weather. To check which swiss chard is suitable in your area, check your local charts, and another way could be asking your local nursery for tips on which swiss chard is best in your local area.
Knowing how to plant a tree or vegetable from seed to fruit can be difficult, especially when you have had no prior experience with plants. Factors such as sunlight, water, pots, soil, and other matters are things that you need to take into account if you want to make sure that your plant will grow to be a healthy plant that produces vegetables and fruits. Once you have mastered and informed yourself about the conditions that the swiss chard vegetable needs, growing swiss chard from seed to vegetable might come as second nature to you.
When planting your swiss chard, you can take the easier route by simpling purchasing seedlings instead of starting from seeds. Starting from seedlings is faster since you won’t have to wait long for the plant to develop, so you can enjoy the swiss chard much faster. On the other hand, starting from seeds is less expensive and you can choose from a wider variety on which swiss chard to plant. It’s up to you to consider and choose which route you will take, each one has its pros and cons. You can purchase the seeds and the seedlings in your local nursery
In terms of the sunlight that the swiss chard might require to survive, the amount of light that must hit the plant should be partial or full sun exposure. This means that the swiss chard plant must not be placed in a dark or shady area or places in which no sunlight enters. Indirect sunlight.
For the soil that is needed for the swiss chard, ideally, the soil should be loose and not compact enough such that water cannot seep through in case it is more than what the swiss chard may need. Water is an important source of nutrition and sustenance for plants, especially vegetable plants such as the swiss chard. Sometimes, the water that is given to said plants is too much for the plant to absorb at a given period, which is why making sure that the soil is loose enough to allow excess water to drain is important to prevent overwatering your plant. This goes without saying that the pot that contains the soil and the plant must also have proper drainage holes towards the bottom, to allow the soil that seeps through the soil to continue onwards towards the bottom of the pot to drain.
Once you are ready to plant your swiss chard seed, the first step is to make sure that the seeds are planted in the soil at a half-inch deep hold, with around eight seeds per foot. This provides with enough room to grow without entangling themselves with each other, and for each of them to obtain the nutrients and water needed as they grow. Fertilizers can also be added in this step to help the seedlings grow.
Since these plants grow easily, it is important to watch out for the perfect time to harvest the vegetables themselves once they have fully grown. Swiss chard vegetables look similar to lettuce or other leafy green vegetables. To harvest them, you have to make sure that the height of the plant is around twelve inches high. If not, then the vegetable is not ripe for harvesting yet. Waiting too long, however, will result in the vegetable not having as great a taste as when it would have had when harvested at the aforementioned height.
To remove the plant from the soil, all you need to do is pull the whole vegetable from the stems in one motion, and then toss the roots of the vegetable into your compost. Once you have your swiss chard, you can wash them up and use them in any dish that you prefer.
2. How to harvest swiss chard without killing the plant
Harvesting can be difficult to do without killing it, so for those who wonder how to harvest swiss chard without killing the plant, the simple answer is to make sure that you pull out the vegetable not from the leaves but from the more stable portion of the vegetable. The leaves of the swiss chard are more fragile, which is why taking extra care with them helps prevent you from killing the plant. Once harvested, the plant will no longer grow to certain heights and can be used to make dishes and casseroles if you prefer.
3. How to store swiss chard – is it easy?
If you want to know how to store swiss chard, simply start by wrapping the harvested swiss chard in paper towels that are moist and damp, and then placing the whole thing into plastic bags. These bags should be placed in a cooler or crisper, to allow the vegetables to be preserved for about a few weeks.
Conclusion
Vegetables and fruits can be grown from your own backyard or your own home. Sometimes, all it takes is a little research and reading to realize that even a vegetable as unique as the swiss chard can be grown within your own garden. Vegetables are an important part of everyone’s diet, and having a source where there are safe and fresh vegetables to eat can go a long way in maintaining your health.
If you are thinking about growing your own swiss chards, it is important to learn about the perfect factors and key conditions that will help them grow, such as when to harvest swiss chard. Through learning about these things seems easier when you read about them, nothing teaches you more than trying it out for yourself and experiencing the problems in real-time. Thus, planting swiss chard from seed to vegetable is definitely possible given the right tools and mindset.
We are happy that we can help you on this topic, and if you have any more thoughts, questions, or tips, feel free to comment them below! We also offer other guides as well such as How to Prune Thyme and How To Grow Oregano.