Swiss Chard
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Chard was accidentally discovered in Switzerland when a beet shriveled in the cold ground, but the greens kept growing! It was thought to be a type of Cardoon, - 'chardon'. Chard is a healthy, easy-to-grow alternative to spinach, more tolerant of heat and a must for the cook's garden. Use in a multitude of ways: as a wrap for savory fillings or as a healthy addition to pasta or soups. Sow seed when soil has warmed to 50°F or as soon as the ground can be worked. Sow 2" apart in rows, or plant for baby greens, harvested at 2" to 3". To harvest, cut off the outer leaves of these grand plants which keep on producing, even through a light frost.
Average seed life: 2 years
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#1800 Argentata Swiss Chard: 60 days
This heirloom chard, also known as Bionda á Costa, is particularly revered by Italian cooks. Argentata produces extraordinarily large, deep green savoyed leaves, sturdy and easily handled. The luminous, silvery-white stems on the Argentata lends a fairy tale ambience to the kitchen garden, growing up to 3’ if grown in soil amended with lots of organic matter. As baby greens, Argentata adds a silvery sparkle to salads. (OP.)
Packet of 200 Seeds / $3.15
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#1810 Perpetual Spinach Chard: 50-60 days
This is not spinach, nor is it perpetual, but it does grow reliably for quite a long time in the garden! Perpetual Spinach is, in fact, biennial - a relative of chard, it grows sturdily in most soil types. The leaves are shiny green with gleaming white midribs and a taste similar to young, tender chard. This open-pollinated heirloom variety offers an incredibly long harvest and excellent bolt resistance. Harvest the large bottom leaves regularly to keep the plant producing. (OP.)
Packet of 150 Seeds / $3.25
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#1815 Orange Chiffon Swiss Chard: 30-60 days
A beautiful, uniformly-colored newcomer, Orange Chiffon has emerald-green leaves and glowing tangerine-orange midribs and stems. Standing at a mature 24� tall, it does double duty as a lush ornamental edible although we prefer to harvest it as a baby leaf, particularly during hot, dry spells in the dog days of summer. Orange Chiffon was a hands-down favorite by all of our test gardeners! (OP.)
Packet of 175 Seeds / $3.25
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#1820 Bright Lights Swiss Chard: 50-62 days
This ‘rainbow’ chard is dazzling in the garden and we have an Aussie seed company to thank for saving this exceptional variety from extinction. Pink, red, bright gold, pale orange, white and mauve stems are radiant beneath green or bronze-green leaves. Bright Lights may be grown for baby greens harvest, but for maximum color in stems and leaf veins, allow plants to mature to at least 8”. Harvest the large outer leaves with a sharp blade, or ‘top’ the plant - leave a few inches of stem and it will re-sprout if the weather isn’t too hot. Bright Lights grows to 18” to 24” high. (OP.)
Packet of 150 Seeds / $3.25
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#1825 Magenta Sunset Swiss Chard: 25-30 days
A beauty queen of a Chard, Magenta Sunset has crinkly, iridescent, dark jade leaves with hot pink to magenta stems, midribs and veins. Perfect for scissor harvest as baby leaves, it has a mild earthy flavor that is lovely in salads. It may also be grown into full-sized, 24” tall beauties so that you may take advantage of its opulent ornamental stature. Somewhat heat-tolerant, it should be grown for baby leaf harvest during the high heat of summer. Slight variability in the stock may produce some solid green plants. (OP)
Packet of 175 Seeds / $3.25
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#1840 Golden Sunrise Yellow Swiss Chard: 55-60 days
This classic, yellow Swiss Chard has deep golden stalks, midribs and veins and shiny, jade-green, slightly crumpled leaves. Apart from the rainbow hues of Bright Lights, the warm, sunny tones of Golden Sunrise are quite unique. Growing 16” to 24” tall, Golden Sunrise is quite frost tolerant and wonderfully flavorful. You may add rich, glowing Golden Sunrise to salads as baby leaves in 28 days or may wait for full-sized, rich golden bunches at maturity. (OP.)
Packet of 175 Seeds / $3.25
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#1845 Classic Rhubarb Swiss Chard: 50-55 days
Featured in classic French gardens like Villandry, this traditional red heirloom has uniform garnet-red stalks with abundant deep green, crumpled leaves veined crimson-red. Growing from 18” to 24” tall, Classic Rhubarb is juicy, tasty and extremely productive~it will yield up to three or more cuttings of pretty baby leaves. (OP.)
Packet of 175 Seeds / $3.10
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