I have sown a tray of Swiss Chard today. Mostly Bright Lights, the colurful mix, with a couple of the green ones thrown in. I have grown them before and have learned by my previous mistakes. Leave plenty of space in between when you put them outside as the final plant is quite large and stays in the ground a long time. They form a deep tap root and don’t transplant too well. One large plant is enough really as you can keep on cutting what you want and it will keep growing. A bit like Rhubarb. It does not originate from Switzerland but is a Mediterranian plant first discovered by a Swiss man. It is a member of the beet group and is used like Spinach.
The leaves can be harvested young for use in salads or left to grow larger for cooking. The main attraction are the stems which grow in colours from dark red to orange.
