When dietitians talk about leafy green vegetables, Swiss chard is at the top of the list.Sow chard seeds directly in the garden in spring when the soil reaches 50 degrees F, or about two weeks before the last frost date.A fence is your best bet for keeping deer from consuming your crop in late summer or fall.Swiss chard tolerates light frost, so you can harvest inner leaves through November even in northern climates.With a season extender, cold frame, row cover, or greenhouse you can grow and harvest Swiss chard into the winter.If you started the seeds indoors in a container, you will need to transplant the seedlings when it is time to move them outdoors.When consumed in excess, oxalic acid can cause symptoms such as abdominal discomfort, convulsions or tremors, low blood pressure, kidney stones, vomiting, and weak pulse.Because blanching takes literally a few minutes, it’s recommended to freeze Swiss chard before you store it to avoid these risks.Freezing your homegrown Swiss chard stops the action of the enzymes that can cause the greens to become bitter while they’re being stored in the freezer.Yes, Swiss chard seeds do benefit from a soaking before planting to help speed up germination.To harvest Swiss chard correctly, pick the leaves by snapping the stem right at the base of the plant.If you are sowing your own seeds, you can get quite an early head start outdoors as they thrive on colder temperatures.If you want to get an early start on growing Swiss chard, sow seeds indoors and move them outside as temperatures begin to warm up.Soak seeds for 15 minutes in cold water prior to planting to speed up germination.Don’t allow the leaves to grow bigger than 10 inches long, as they will begin to taste earthy and bitter.It’s unlikely that you will accidentally consume enough Swiss chard to be problematic, but eating more than seven pounds per day of this leafy green can cause health problems.The oxalic acid that provides chard with its bitter, earthy flavor can also cause symptoms including abdominal discomfort, convulsions or tremors, low blood pressure, kidney stones, vomiting, and weak pulse if you consume too much of it.Like all garden vegetables, Swiss chard performs best when provided with a regular source of water.Swiss chard isn’t just tasty—it’s nutritious, too, with lots of health benefits when you make it part of your regular diet.Swiss chard is a very hardy plant, which can endure hot and cold weather with relative ease.Swiss chard can even stand a bit of neglect on your part, and tends to bounce back easily from less than optimal growing conditions.Swiss chard isn’t just acceptable for dogs to eat—it’s a healthy part of our canine friends’ diet.This leafy green provides dogs with calcium, iron, potassium, and a dose of vitamins A, C, and K.When consumed in moderation (as most of us are likely to do under usual circumstances), Swiss chard is a delicious and healthy part of the diet.This potential downfall is due to the oxalic acid that gives the greens their signature bitter, earthy flavor.Getting more than your fair share of oxalic acid can result in symptoms including abdominal discomfort, convulsions or tremors, low blood pressure, kidney stones, vomiting, and weak pulse.Although plenty of plants make good neighbors for Swiss chard in the garden, there are some varieties you should watch out for
/chard-landscape_annotated-62b58203c89342beacf6d7c10c6f42b6.jpg)
/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__simply_recipes__uploads__2005__02__swiss-chard-horiz-a-1600-831f69bf401b48708544efd398127bc5.jpg)
