The chard is a vegetable high in vitamin A, so cede a space in your organic garden will mean optimal levels of vitamin D to your immune system.

Its cultivation is very simple, it gives good results and great productions. So if you have any small questions about its cultivation, with what we will tell you, we hope it will help you to take the step in the cultivation of chard.

THE CULTIVATION OF CHARD IN YOUR ORGANIC GARDEN

The chard belongs to the family of the Chenopodiaceae , along with beets or spinach, for example. Its origin is European but it is already more than widespread throughout the world, always in temperate zones. It is a biannual cycle and long cycle plant.

Next we will know a little more about the agronomic part of the cultivation of chard.

CLIMATIC CHARACTERISTICS

Swiss chard is a hardy crop . of temperate climate, that is to say that it grows well with average temperatures.

The resistance that we have mentioned is translated into that it withstands temperatures of -5 ºC, although with these temperatures there is no development and they suffer damage, which is not permanent.

The range of growth is situated in wide values ​​of between 5 and 30 ºC.

LIGHT NEEDS

Although it is quite rustic in terms of growing places, it prefers semi-shady situations, instead of direct sun, especially if this is when the temperatures are very high.

WHAT SOIL DO CHARD REQUIRE?

They adapt well to any type of soil, but prefer those of the clay type

Read more: do you know what type of soil you have in your garden?

Having a deep root system is favorable to have a deep soil with a good content of organic matter , although we will talk about that in the subscriber section. Chard cultivation can be done with saline soils.

In fact, one of the problems with chard when it comes to eating is the amount of oxalates (kidney stone formation) they contain, although their benefits far outweigh their harm.

Therefore, due to its content of salts and oxalates, it is usually planted in alkaline soils, with a pH greater than 7, although never more than 8.

CHARD FERTILIZER

Their requirements in terms of subscriber can be classified as average . As it is a long-term crop, it is advisable to apply fertilizer, such as compost , every 40-50 days. Try to be decomposed, that is, at least 1 or 2 months after the complete development of the compost.

IRRIGATION NEEDS

It is a crop that requires large doses of humidity to keep the leaves fresh. The soil should always be moist, since chard causes problems when the water content decreases and does not withstand drought conditions very well.

SOME ADDITIONAL CHARD CARE

We will make the crop more durable if we tear off the leaves that are developed, to eat them, leaving room for the formation of new regrowth leaves.

The crop requires a lot of humidity, you can use the mulching technique to avoid the evaporation of irrigation water.

It is important to remove the herbs that form around the chard crop, avoiding the theft of nutrients. You can use a small hoe for this.

IMPORTANT DATES IN THE CULTIVATION OF CHARD  

In general, chard is usually grown in autumn and winter, in cold conditions. However, like lettuce, it can be planted most of the year.

As for dates, although it will depend on the area where we live, it is distributed as follows:

• Sowing: March, April, May, August and September.
• Transplantation:  April, May, June, September and October.
• Harvesting:  all year round.

BEST KNOWN VARIETIES OF CHARD

We can distinguish between chard with thick stalks and reddish color, and chard with white stalks and wrinkled leaves.

• Thick and reddish leaves: Gin, King of winter.
• White stalks and thick leaves:  Ruby, Burgundy, Rainbow.