Celebration Grow this gorgeous chard for fantastic colour! Celebration Swiss chard produces thick red, yellow, rose, gold, and white stems that bear slightly savoyed leaves of burgundy and green. Celebration Swiss chard seeds can be planted in large containers and always makes vivid colour on your table. The colours are richest at full maturity, so give it some time to deliver the rainbow effect. The immature leaves are tender and excellent in salads, while the cooked mature leaves and stalks have a flavour that is milder than cooked spinach, and packed with nutrients. This variety replaces Bright Lights. Matures in 60 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
Magenta Sunset Hot pink to magenta stems and veins with dark jade coloured foliage, Magenta Sunset is a beauty among the chards. Magenta Sunset Swiss chard seeds are grown primarily for immature salad greens as it tends to bolt during summer heat. The leaves are smooth, and the stalks are narrow, even at full size. Kept in check, it will produce abundant nutritious leaves with a mild earthy flavour. Sow again in August for a fall harvest or for decorative, 60cm (24") tall plants. Swiss chard is absolutely packed with vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibre. Matures in 25-30 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
Bright Lights - Perhaps the most decorative and exciting vegetable introduction of recent times. With up to 7 different coloured stems, it is an ideal subject for the flower border! Enjoy its mild, sweet flavour when young, raw in salads or gently steamed.
Rhubarb Chard Pretty enough for the flower garden, this wonderful and richly flavoured heirloom variety has wide stalks and veins that are bright scarlet red and deeply crumpled leaves that are rich dark green. Cook the stalks as you would asparagus and the leaves as you would spinach, or enjoy both raw in salads. Rhubarb Chard Swiss chard seeds sown too early in spring cause the plants to bolt quickly. This reliable old variety first arrived on the market in 1857, and has been winning fans and feeding families ever since. Swiss chard is a rich source of vitamins A, K, and C, and is an excellent source of minerals, dietary fibre, and protein. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Matures in 60 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
How to Grow
Chard grows best in well drained soils with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Sow seed about 1- 2 cm (1/2-3/4″) deep and 2.5 cm (1″) apart in rows 45 cm (18″) apart starting in mid spring. Sowing every two weeks until early summer will ensure continuous supply. Gradually thin out to 10 cm (4″) apart using the thinnings as baby greens. Harvest outer leaves first by cutting at the base of the stem then working towards the centre as you go. One packet sows approximately a 6 m (20’) row.
