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Gary350
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Swiss Chard ?

This is my first successful crop of Swiss Chard. I use to plant this in TN but had a lot of problems.

I planted this crop in late Sept and the plants still seem to be small. The plants are 12" to 16" tall. The soil has a lot of dead grass tilled in. I made a ditch, filled it with compost cow manure, then planted the plants. I bought a 9 pack of plants at Lowe's. They were suppose to be all rhubarb red but several plants are green. I fertilized the plants a few times but maybe not as much as I should have.

I have harvested a couple of leaves for salad but I am not sure that is a good thing to do they did not grow back. How do I know when to harvest this? Can I harvest it like lettuce a few leaves at a time? Will the cut leaves grow back?

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rainbowgardener
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Yes, you can harvest it like lettuce a few leaves at a time. The leaf that was cut does not grow back, but new leaves keep appearing.

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applestar
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I believe you want to harvest just the individual outer leaves as they grow rather than the entire plant cut-and-come-again like sometimes done with lettuce.

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jal_ut
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Yes, just harvest the lower leaves, a few from each plant. You want to leave it some leaves to make food for the plant to grow. We have different climates and soil, but in this country the plants last all season, and eventually send up a seed spike and bloom. When that happens, you can cut all the leaves you want as they will not keep sending more leaves. The new leaves always come from the center, and when that center goes to a seed spike its over. I plant chard from seed directly where it will grow in the garden. Early spring is the time to plant here. (April) It has a fair frost tolerance. In Phoenix growing through winter is likely possible though with shorter days growth will be slow as you are finding.

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Gary350
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What is everyone's favorite way to eat Swiss Chard?

So far I have eaten it in a salad. Also fried in the skillet in butter, water, oil, garlic, a pinch of red pepper.

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rainbowgardener
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Any way you would eat spinach. I make a swiss chard lasagna, following a spinach lasagna recipe. I like it better with swiss chard.

imafan26
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Swiss chard can last a long time it is a good cut and come again plant. I generally keep mine about a year. I use swiss chard like spinach. Since it is related to beets you can cook the greens the same way. My go to recipe for any greens is simple a stir fry. Heat oil (olive or canola is healthy)and minced garlic, I use two cloves but if you like garlic you can use more. Saute garlic until fragrant, make sure it does not burn. Add washed and chopped greens. Add the stems first and saute a minute or two before adding the leaves. Salt, pepper or pepper flakes. Sometimes I will put in a splash of balsamic vinegar or white wine. Saute' until the leaves wilt and the color brightens then remove from heat.

I have learned the hard way not to eat the older leaves. They taste too much like dirt. So, now I stick to the young leaves only.

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Molly_Lenore
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well yours is doing way better than mine ever has. I typically can not get it to grow over a foot tall, even with fertilizing. I always see it grow so HUGE in others' gardens. Hopefully I can learn their tricks this growing season. I love the way it tastes.



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