gumbo2176 wrote:Swiss Chard is fairly heat tolerant. It will last much longer in my garden than spinach and lettuces. I find it tastes similar to spinach, grows much larger and like spinach, you can harvest just the amount you need by taking individual leaves and leaving the plant to produce more.
It will not last into the summer for me, it just gets too hot and it will bolt in late May/ early June. They do overwinter here in New Orleans but seldom does our nightly temps. get below freezing.
I've never heard of over wintering Swiss Chard. It might work since it's a member of the beet family.
I grew up on it and it was grown because my mother couldn't grow enough beet greens or spinach to keep me happy all winter. When you harvest it's best to take the outside leaves. It handles heat fairly well. It doesn't bolt as fast as other greens and doesn't seem to get massively bitter.
I mainly grow Bright Lights so I can use them in the flower beds. Cut, young and tender from the outside in, fabulous taste with the added pretty factor.
Please let us know how the over wintering works. It's a great idea.