Chard

So some of my chard over-wintered. Happy accident! I've been pulling leaves off every week - some go in scrambled eggs, others sauted with sausage, sweet potato and onion...but they continue to grow up -- not so much as out. The plants are so beautiful and hearty that I'm of the opinion that they are hearty stock so I've made up my mind to let them go to seed. I'll harvest those seeds, store 'em and plant them and grow them and EAT THEM! :) Fun.


This over-wintered swiss chard ranges in height from 3 to 4 feet tall right now. I know, it's more than a bit absurd and certianly not in line with efficient gardening. But I'm all about experimenting in the garden right now. This is still relatively new to me and I'm enjoying getting my feet wet (er, muddy) and making a few mistakes along the way. I have to say that my time out there is invaluable. I'm a rich, rich girl.

I'll sow more chard seed today, tucked close to these monsterous plants, in hopes of eeking out a good crop again. I've got beets coming up nearby too...more on that later. But did you know that chard is a beet? Isn't that interesting?!?!?! It is! It's a beet bred for its leaves. Which explains why I pulled up a pulpy mess of a tubery-thing when I uprooted one of my chard plants early this spring. Not something that looked good to nibble on, pickle or roast.

More chard-facts: in some studies, chard has been linked to prevention of many digestive-related cancers. According to the World's Healthiest Foods website (http://www.whfoods.com/), several studies link a diet rich in chard with the reduction of precancerous lesions in the colon. It might also help those who suffer from diabetes, as some studies suggest it protects the kidneys by reducing creatine and serum urea levels. It's rich in vitamins and minerals K, A, C and E as well as potassium, magnesium, manganese and iron. It's also a pretty good source of calcium, copper, vitamins B1, B2 and B6, zinc, folate, niacin and pantothenic acid. Read more at the link attached or wiki it. (Gotta love wiki!)

So if you are in the Pacific NW, like myself, you'll want to sow between April and June and according to Steve Solomon's very fine book, Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades, you'll want to sow seeds eight per foot, 3/4 inch deep and in rows 18 inches apart. Some day I'll reach his caliber - but in the interim, like I mentioned above, I'm sort of winging it. I don't have much space (my two raised beds are 4' x 4') so I'll squeeze what I can in, hope for the best, and take notes and learn from my mistakes. (I'll be sure to post more and let you know what I ended up doing today.)