Chard, Swiss Rainbow

Harvest the baby leaves of Rainbow swiss chard and add lots of color to your salads! The stems and veins vary in color from red to gold to pink, with many other shades in between!  Each chard seed is actually a cluster of seeds simular to the beet seed.

Chard is a biennial plant, meaning it has a two year life cycle, but it is cultivated as an annual in the vegetable garden and harvested in its first season of growth. Once it begins to flower and set seed in its second year, its leaves turn bitter and unpalatable. Both the leaves and stalks of chard are edible.

• Days to Maturity -35- 60 Days
• Type - Leafy
• Botanical Name – Beta vulgaris
• Zone – 3-9
• Plant Type - upright
• Summer/Winter - All
  
• Sow Method - Direct Sow or Transplant
  
• Sow Depth 1 inch
• Plant Spacing - 12-18inches
• Row Spacing - 3 Feet
• Sunlight - Full Sun
• Breed - Open Pollinated
• Germination Days 7-10
• Germination Rate - 90%
• Lifecycle - Annual
• Watering - 1 inch per week
• Approx. 1750 per ounce
• Companion Planting Guide

Open pollinated means this plants flowers are fertilized by bees, moths, birds, bats, and even the wind or rain. The seed that forms produces the same plant the following year. 

All heirlooms are open pollinated, but not all open pollinated plants are heirlooms. Only a small fraction of the plant world is considered heirloom. This variety has a history of being passed down within communities and families as early as the 1700's, similar to the generational sharing of items like jewelry or furniture.