Rainbow Chard

Beta vulgaris

Story: Chard is an all-star of the kitchen garden. It produces leaves for ages and is hardy and delicious. As the name suggests, this variety pops up in rainbow colours - ranging from white veins, to green, deep orange, and red.

When to sow: Sow your seeds from spring to late summer-June to October, depending on when you would like to eat it. We successional sow.

Requirements: Moist, nutrient-rich soil in a sunny space.

Harvesting for eating: Cut off leaf stems as needed. Chard can be harvested when young, for small tender leaves, or later for a cooking green. For continuous harvests, always cut outer leaves and leave the centre of the rosette growing.

Harvesting for seed saving: In the second year towards the end of summer and into autumn when the seeds begin to dry on the plant.

Need to isolate: Yes

Seed Saving from chard: A little patience is required when saving seed from chard - it is biennial and sets seed in its second year. The plants can often be overwintered in the ground in mild winters if protected with a straw mulch or fleece in frosty weather. In the second year, allow the plants to flower; it is recommended to allow 5 or more of the healthiest plants to flower and set seed to keep genetics strong. Chard is wind pollinated so only allow one variety to go to flower at any one time (beetroot is also closely related so can also cross if allowed to flower). The flower stalks grow huge! Allow the seeds to fully ripen on the plant - the stalks and seeds will turn brown at this point. Then cut the entire stalks and bring inside to hang or lay on cardboard to fully dry (they are huge, we use the greenhouse floor). Then, wearing gloves, strip the seeds into a big bucket. Try to winnow as much chaff from the seeds as possible. Package them up, label and date and share the abundance of seeds - with friends, family and seed networks.  

Number of plants to save seeds from: 5-10 minimum, 10 - 20 or more is ideal

Pollination: Wind pollinated 

How to send back seed: Please label all seed with variety, type, date and your contact. If you didn't get a chance to fill out our online data collection form, you can also send us a few lines about how it grew for you/flavour etc. Please aim to send back 1/3 cup of dried brassica seed or more so that we can continue to share with network members. Send to: The Seed Saving Network, Omved Gardens, 1 Townsend Yard, N6 5JF.

Please remember, if you’re an individual grower you can order up to 4 packets of seeds. If you order more than this, you will receive just four packs to begin with. This is to ensure we get plenty of data in return and to keep our stocks sustainable for years to come.* 

*Community groups, seed guardians and experienced growers can order larger quantities, please email us at info@seedsaving.network if this is the case.

If an item is out of stock we will send a close alternative.