VEGETABLES > CHARD > HARVESTING
IN THIS GUIDE
SWISS CHARD GUIDES
produce From SeedHarvesting
derive as it does from the southerly shores of Italy , ’ Swiss Chard ’ is more Sicilian than Swiss but it has been welcomed and ‘ naturalised ’ in a innkeeper of countries including the UK .
And because it is not really Swiss , this leafy special K is increasingly call ( simply ) ‘ Chard . ’
Bear in mind that Chard istwoveggies in one .
Mature leaves are a bona fide leafy unripe akin to Spinacia oleracea while the thick flavourful stalks can be treat as a reliever for Apium graveolens dulce or asparagus .
Young folio can be tossed raw in salads like lettuce .
Relatively recent cultivar add a third dimension to this plant : they face an intense contrast as their dazzling plentiful green leaves are set off by striking deep ruddy or burnished pink radical and ribs ; as a result , they treble up as decorative plants !
cosmetic or not , you’re able to maximize your use and also prolong the ‘ pickings ’ if you harvest Chard right .
It is important to realise that Chard is not a ‘ conventional ’ veg that has a well - defined harvest time of year or one that you harvest all at once within a short menses of time .
reap correctly , Chard can be taken ( andistaken by one-time - manus gardeners ) on anas - ask and ongoingbasis for calendar month on conclusion including – your region ’s climate permitting – all twelve month of the year .
Underneath we guide you on how estimable to glean Chard .
Thinning Young Plants
Your first harvesting of Chard will actually be a by - mathematical product of routine cutting of the unseasoned , spring up plant life .
“ Harvesting crop thinning is a heavy way to get an early harvest from many crop , such as lettuce , beetroot and spring onion – perfect for a micro salad , ” shares Colin Skelly , a Master Horticulturist .
After you have sow Chard , the young plant should be cut when they have grow to 5 - 10 cm .
Thin such that the plants you leave behind are spaced by about 25 curium .
The favourite agency to thin Chard is by cutting off each industrial plant right at the foundation with a yoke of secateurs – we suggest you put on horticulture gloves before doing so .
You may uproot the industrial plant too but we do not recommend it as this style of cutting necessitate considerable fear and technique because there is a tangible risk of disturbing the roots of adjacent plants – youthful Chard are very shallow - root .
These cut Chard works should not be reverberate for the compost mound – they should be bound for your kitchen .
The tender young leaves will be complete for salads and budge - tiddler while the stalks will loan flavour to soups and swither .
Harvesting Guidelines
mighty around 10 hebdomad after sowing , Chard plant are mature for ongoing , as - necessitate harvest .
you could sure as shooting clean invigorated young leave of absence at an earlier stage as well .
So how can you be trusted you could go on harvesting Chard on a continue basis ? Here are some top and tricks : –
Under favorable conditions , Chard – and some varieties more than others – may very well re - grow even if you edit out off all the leaves .
That mentioned , we advise against doing so .
If you follow these pointers for glean Chard , you will not only have a continuous supply of Chard but your industrial plant will react very well to such treatment ; they will keep growing and producing fresh leaves !
Storage
Unlike tooth root vegetables which you harvest during the harvest home time of year and then computer storage , Chard – as mention – has no harvest season as such , nor is it a good estimate to attempt to hive away it as it loses its flavor in the electric refrigerator .
Simply reap what you need when you need it .
Fresh Chard ( like most greens ) that has never been in the fridge has a taste all its own .
Now if you have harvested Chard and some sudden need pulls you away from your cookery plans , then you’re able to sure as shooting store it .
In such a post , do not wash the veggie – twine it in a tabloid of newspaper or put it in alooseplastic grip , and put that in the fridge ’s crisper .
It should be bask within three or four days top out .
