Swiss Chard

Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla 'Fordhook Giant'

vegetable

Swiss chard is a leafy beet relative grown for its large, glossy, crinkled green leaves and thick, succulent stalks, the Fordhook Giant strain bearing broad dark leaves on wide white stems. One of the most productive and forgiving greens, it tolerates both summer heat and light frost, yields for months from a single planting, and matures in about 55 to 60 days.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Sweet Alyssum — Attracts hoverflies that eat aphids
• Onions — Scent deters aphids
• Bush beans — Add nitrogen
• Radishes — Trap leafminers and flea beetles away

❌ Keep away from

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Leafminer →

  Row cover to block the fly; pick and destroy mined leaves; clear weed hosts like lambsquarter

• Aphids →

  Flowering companions bring in hoverflies and ladybugs; rinse colonies

• Slugs →

  Morning watering, night hand-picking, and traps

🌾 Harvest & storage

Harvest the outer leaves and stalks once they reach full size by cutting or snapping them at the base, leaving the center to keep producing new leaves for months. Pick young leaves for salads and larger ones for cooking, and harvest regularly to keep the plant generating tender growth.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Swiss chard is very low in calories and extremely high in vitamins K and A and a good source of vitamin C, supplying magnesium, potassium, iron, and fiber, with thick white stems and midribs.