The chard It is a vegetable often forgotten in the kitchen, despite the fact that contains a multitude of beneficial nutrients for health and that it has many more uses than many give it.

In addition to simply boiled with potatoes, chard is perfect sautéed with pine nuts and raisins, in omelettes, creams, fillings… In addition, it is quite easy to grow, so What are you waiting for to plant your own chard?

What varieties of chard can you grow

The one from the chard (Beta vulgaris) It is one of the oldest known crops. Native to the Mediterranean region (particularly from Sicily) and North Africa, there are references to red varieties dating back to the time of Aristotle, around the year 350 BC. c.

It is a wide and thick stem plant and leaves that can reach 30 centimeters long different colors (green, yellow, reddish…) depending on the variety. These are, in fact, its edible parts and why it is grown.

The most cultivated varieties in our country are the «Lyon Yellow«, with a green leaf and a wide yellow stalk, and the «Nice«, with dark green leaves and wide white stalks.

How to grow chard

Chard is a resistant plant that can be grown in Spain almost all year roundalthough the Ideal temperature for seeds to germinate is between 16°C and 24°C. The plant, however, can tolerate temperatures down to 0 °C, although with temperatures below 3 °C its growth will stop.

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On the other hand, requires good lightingbut not direct sunlight (especially in summer)
The soil must be rich in organic matterwith good drainage and an ideal pH between 6 and 7.5. Chard has a large root, so it requires deep soils.

With regard to irrigation, chard needs a lot of water to grow well. You must make sure that the soil is always moist, but not waterlogged. Additionally, for optimal plant growth, you can add fertilizer every 4 to 6 weeks.

How to plant chard

Chard can be planted in a seedbed or directly in the ground:

• Sowing in seedbed It allows you to better control the growth of the plant and choose the right time to transplant it. You just have to add a couple of seeds in each socket of the seedbed, a few 2.5 centimeters deepand water it well so that it settles. Between 10 and 15 days later they should have germinated and when the seedlings have reached about 10 centimeters and they have 3 or 4 leaves, you can now transplant in the garden.

• If you want to sow the seed directly in the groundyou can do it in early spring or late summer. Plant the seeds (3 or 4 in each hole) approximately 2.5 centimeters deep in rows about 60 centimeters apart and with a distance of about 50 cm between each plant in the same row. Once planted, water them well.

If when they have germinated you see that you have more than one chard in each hole, remember that you should leave only one so that it can grow well. Wait until they are between 4-5 centimeters to eliminate the excess.

When to harvest chard

Approximately some 3 or 4 months after sowingonce the chard has reached the appropriate size (with leaves of about 40 cm), the chard will be ready to harvest.

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There is two options to harvest your chard:

• By leaves, as you need them, and cutting them with a knife from the base. This way, the plant will continue to grow and will yield more.
• Cutting the entire plant once it has grown enough.

Pests and diseases of chard

Chard, like all plants, is exposed to different pests and diseases:

• Among the pestsyou must pay special attention to the aphid, the wireworm and the white worm, which you can detect by the darkening or the appearance of holes in the leaves.
• Regarding diseasesthe mildew fungus is the most common and you can suspect it if you see brown or discolored spots on the green of the leaf.

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