The riddle of Swiss chard
It’s not actually from Switzerland, and that’s just one of the many surprises you get with this edible ornamental.
iStockphoto by swalls
What is Swiss chard?
First, let me tell you what it isn’t. It isn’t from Switzerland but rather the European Mediterranean region. I’m sure this factoid doesn’t help solve the riddle of Swiss chard, so let’s dig deeper before you think about digging it into your spring veggie garden.
Swiss chard is related to spinach and also grown for its tasty leaves, which can be eaten raw or cooked. Trailing not far behind spinach in healthy nutrients, Swiss chard has a slightly stronger—yet not unpleasant—flavor but handles summer heat better, resisting bolting, which can lead to bitter leaves. The sturdy stems are also edible and have a satisfying, tasty, celery-like crunch.
The stems can be a feast for the eyes, too. Many popular cultivars sport sassy colors such as the sizzling crimson stalks of Ruby Red and the multicolored shoots of Bright Lights. For creative gardeners, this visual pop from such showoffs means Swiss chard is an edible than can easily blend into an ornamental setting.
Swiss chard does love the sun, so give it as much exposure in the garden as possible. Also, a rich, well-worked growing ground heavily amended with organic additives, along with a good dusting of a complete fertilizer such as 8-8-8 or 10-10-10, at planting time will produce a better crop of tasty leaves and stems.
Starting seeds indoors around the middle of this month is an option, but, whether from the sun or an artificial source, light must be served up in liberal doses or the resulting seedlings will be weak, leggy transplants. Because this light requirement can be attention intensive, my preference is to simply buy young, strong plants from nurseries, which usually offer them by the middle of March.
As I mentioned, Swiss chard resists going to flower in summer heat better than spinach, but long periods of hot, dry weather can still take a toll on its tastiness, so I cheat. Along with adding this crunchy delight to the veggie patch, I also pot up several plants and move them into areas of light afternoon shade during periods of extended scorch.
For a constant crop, pick the outer leaves first and pick often. Doing this, my harvests have often stretched through the summer and beyond. No kidding.
Bottom line, with Swiss chard being so versatile, nutritious and productive, the only riddle left is why did it take you so long to discover its edible and ornamental possibilities?
February in the garden
• Is creating a stone walk one of your late winter landscape projects? If you are using sand instead of mortar to set the stones, include one extra step: Before laying the stones and sand down, add a sheet of plastic weed block to the pathway to help cut down on unwanted weeds popping up between the stones. Ditto for new brick paths.
• Summer-blooming woody ornamentals such as althea, butterfly bush, crepe myrtle, oleander, hydrangea and vitex flower on new wood, so now is a good time to prune to stimulate new springtime branches.
Tip of the month
When snows visit your garden, if they are light, sit back and enjoy the winter scenery. If they are heavy, think about suiting up in your favorite warm coat and using a broom or leaf blower to remove as much of the white powder as possible from the foliage of your evergreen plants to prevent the extra weight from breaking branches. Do this sooner rather than later, before the snow partially melts and then refreezes into solid, clinging chunks of ice.
L.A. Jackson is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.