Takes a light frost. Sow outdoors 2 to 4 weeks before your last frost; sow in fall 6 to 13 weeks before your first fall frost. First harvest 40 to 60 days from sowing.
Put in your ZIP code to see when to start, plant and harvest swiss chard where you live, from your own frost dates.
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From seed to harvest
SowSeed goes inWeek 0
SproutFirst shoots showWeek 1–2
True leavesFirst real leavesWeek 2–3
Thin or plant outGive each plant roomWeek 3–4
Leaf growthLeaves fill outWeek 4–5
HarvestReady to pickWeek 6–9
How to plant and grow
Sow outdoors
Sow seed 1/2 inch deep 2 to 4 weeks before last frost, once soil is about 40 °F. Seedlings show up in 1 to 2 weeks.
Thin the row
Each seed is a cluster that can sprout several plants. Thin to about 6 to 9 inches apart when seedlings have a few leaves.
Water evenly
Give 1 to 2 inches a week. Dry spells make the leaves tough.
Watch the leaves
Check for aphids, slugs and leaf spots. Rotate where you plant chard and beets each year.
Cut and come again
Pick outer leaves 4 to 12 inches long and let the center keep growing. One planting can keep producing until it flowers.
Sow for fall
Sow again in midsummer, about 6 to 13 weeks before first fall frost. Chard handles light frost.
Common problems
Photo: “Aphids on Kale leaf” by Sanjay Acharya, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
AphidsPest
What you'll see: Clusters of small, soft-bodied green, black or gray insects on new shoots and under leaves. Leaves curl, and a sticky film may coat them.
Prevent
Check leaf undersides each week; a few aphids do little harm.
Pull nearby weeds, such as wild mustards, that feed aphids.
Grow flowers for lady beetles, lacewings and hover flies, and avoid broad sprays that kill them.
Organic options
Knock aphids off with a strong spray of water.
Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on leaf undersides, repeated as the label allows.
Neem oil, or OMRI Listed pyrethrins (without piperonyl butoxide).
Conventional options
Malathion or permethrin, if the crop is on the label. These also kill the insects that eat aphids.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
Photo: “Deroceras reticulatum” by Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
SlugsPest
What you'll see: Ragged holes in leaves and fruit, and shiny slime trails, mostly after damp nights.
Prevent
Clear mulch and leaf litter close to plants so the ground can dry.
Start early; do not wait for a heavy infestation.
Organic options
Sink shallow containers of beer to the rim; empty and refill them often.
Iron phosphate bait scattered on the soil around plants. Look for OMRI Listed products.
Conventional options
Same as organic: iron phosphate bait is the pick for food gardens, being far less harmful to pets and wildlife.
Cercospora leaf spotDiseaseSprays are rarely needed
What you'll see: Small round tan spots with purple-red edges on beet and chard leaves. The centers may fall out, leaving holes.
Prevent
Keep beets, chard and spinach out of a bed for 3 years.
Remove all leaves and debris at the end of the season.
Water at the base and space plants for air flow.
Organic options
Pick off spotted leaves; new leaves grow from the center.
Pull up and hot-compost badly infected plants.
Conventional options
Same as organic. Leaf picking, clean-up and rotation control it in a home garden.
Read and follow the product label: it is the law. It sets the rate, the crops it is for, and the days between spraying and picking. Products registered vary by state; for organic growing, look for products allowed under the USDA National Organic Program (OMRI Listed). We name active ingredients, not brands or rates.
The link opens this growing guide, so anyone can read it and look up their own planting dates.
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Sow
Sprout
True leaves
Thin or plant out
Leaf growth
Harvest
