A chard act to veg is so easy Follow

SWISS chard is one of the easiest and tastiest vegetables we grow in Scotland. Unrelated to spinach, which is a native of warmer climes, Swiss chard, Beta vulgaris subsp. Cicla, is derived from native sea beet which grows along the the Forth, the Solway coast and other parts in the west.

The chard we grow is not a perennial like its wild ancestor but crops for several months and often overwinters. Chard does best in sunny sheltered spots and, once established, its deep roots cope with our increasingly dry summers. And don’t worry, although we often see it in coastal areas, you don’t need to live there to grow it successfully. My garden, in the middle of the country, is 200 metres above sea level.

Swiss chard, a white-ribbed beet, is hardy and, unlike spinach, survives most of our winters, but the more decorative varieties with yellow, red and orange stems are more tender and could be treated as ornamentals for a potager or flower bed. Growing to around 60cm they make for an attractive feature.

Although I do grow rainbow chard, I find the white-stemmed Swiss chard, a basic type, is reliable, tough and guarantees a decent harvest for several months. I make three sowings every year: in February-March for late spring and early summer; in April-May for summer and autumn; and in August for overwintering in my tunnel for early spring. A garden cloche would also work for overwintering.

The chard “seeds” we buy, like most beetroots, are large because they’re actually the plant’s fruits.

Varieties with yellow, red and orange stems can be treated as ornamentals

This explains why a few seedling emerge from each “seed”.

For early February-March sowings, you’ll need to sow in root trainers, toilet roll inners or small pots, bring them on in a greenhouse, conservatory or windowsill and plant out when the soil is warm enough.

For April-May sowings, when the soil is in good shape, you can simply direct sow in prepared ground 20-25cm apart with 30cm between rows and thin once three or four true leaves have grown.

If you have mollusc problems, protect seedlings in these early stages. I recycle yoghurt pots by cutting out the base, smearing a sticky jelly such as Vaseline round the perimeter. Once established, chard is pretty pest-proof. My only problem is the odd passing deer.

August sowings can be directly into the open ground, greenhouse or tunnel. I prefer to start them off in toilet roll inners, placed on an outside table until they are big enough for our slithery marauders to have lost interest.