Sow chard for winter use

Spinach beet and chard, whether green or coloured, is a useful winter crop. If sown now it will provide young leaves for many months, although it will bolt and run to seed in spring. The foliage on young plants is tender enough to be used in salads as well as cooked as a substitute for spinach. If the soil is warm outside it can be sown direct into the seed bed but in colder areas it’s best to sow in a polytunnel in beds or to sow some in pots on the patio where conditions are more sheltered. The seeds are large and easy to space in the top of a pot of multi-purpose compost.