This Crop is WAY Better than Spinach (And Easier To Grow)

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Everyone loves spinach, but there's a crop that's SO much easier to grow, that keeps on cropping all year round and that is absolutely stunning too. It's Swiss chard of course. This beauty comes in all colours of the rainbow and will be a feast for the eyes as well as for the taste buds.
In this week's episode, Ben walks us through every stage of the process of growing chard from sowing to harvest.

[sharonscott]

I love chard. I take the leaves off the stems, cut the stems and sauté in garlic butter until soft and then add the chopped leaves and wilt like spinach. Lovely as a side dish. If I have a surplus of chard, I wilt it in boiling water for a minute of two, drain, then chop it up and press into small silicone muffin/cup cake tins and freeze. I then pop the frozen lumps into bags to just toss into a curry, mix into pasta or some other dish in the same way you would spinach. This also means I have it during the winter when it doesn't grow too much.

[tracyhh]

I can’t tell you how much I enjoy your videos. Your way of approaching single topics, cadence of speech, and contagious joy for dirt and play outside is just delightful. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, from a kindred proud Brit. ❤

[Bozziebozz]

Chard with fresh ginger, some onion, a dash of soy sauce. Add some sugar snaps or snap peas if you're feeling fancy. Serve with rice and a handful of cashew nuts. Delicious!

[kels]

I love waking up on a Saturday, watching your recent video while sipping my coffee in front of my garden. Much love from the southwest U.S. 🌞🌻🌿🍅

[ColoradoTodd]

Thanks for the great video! I grow swiss chard every year, and love it. Here in northern Colorado, our summers are quite hot (95F / 35C), yet the chard actually does fine all through the growing season. I usually grow it where a tall plant like a tomato will give it a bit of shade in summer. Some comments:

1. It's the same plant as beetroot, just a different cultivar
2. You can eat the root, but with most chard varieties the root is not nearly as good as an actual beetroot variety
3. Despite its close appearance, chard is not related to rhubarb
4. I completely agree about pest resistance - much easier to grow than brassicas
5. Chard is a biennial plant, so you can leave it in place to overwinter (with some mulch to protect it from hard freezes), then collect some early greens the next spring and let it bloom to collect seeds. I hate paying for seeds, so I try to grow naturally pollenated varieties of almost everything and collect seeds. Same general rule as most greens: once it bolts, the leaves get bitter
6. I use the young tender leaves raw in salads and saute the larger leaves in almost any meal. As you mentioned early in the video, it's the perfect replacement for spinach, but also for any recipe calling for kale or collard greens if you don't have those handy
7. As a side dish, you can saute them with some chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc) and dried cranberries or raisins
8. Whenever I cook them, I also chop the stems and saute them first, so of like adding celery to a dish. I like the crunch, and the bright stems are also packed with nutrients
9. If your chard leaves have gotten tough and leathery, just braise them for longer than a typical saute. They'll get silky soft. Like most mature greens, they can be bitter by themselves, but you can add citrus and/or something sweet to balance the flavor, or throw them in a curry or chili recipe.
10. It's probably obvious, but these aren't like "head lettuce", so just pick the outermost leaves and you can harvest from the same plants all year.

[ro.stan.]

In Croatia, specifically coastal Dalmatia it is sort of national dish. It was feeding the people through the hard times. Often served cooked with potato, garlic and olive oil.

[itme]

I forgot about mine and they went to seed. I have so many volunteers right now! I could almost just let the bed go all chard.

[januarysdaughter]

Of all the years I have gardened, I have never grown chard. I may have to add these to my fall plan.

[pobo]

I don’t like chard, but I grow it for my chickens. They love it 💕

[ChillingInCA]

I make pesto with my chard and basil- it's actually really good. Plus, I throw in casseroles, soups, and pasta sauces. I have a spectacular recipe for garlic potatoes with chard. Yum!

[marychristmas]

Last year was my first with an allotment, so I'm new to growing, and chard was one of my big successes. Your enthusiasm and love for gardening is infectious!

[tillysshelf]

I love chard. A few weeks ago I took my first harvest from some overwintered chard, steamed it, puréed it and gave some to my baby son as his first taste of solid food (as current advice is to start with bitter green vegetables). He pulls faces and gets a fantastic green goatee but it goes down okay! Looking forward to feeding him many happy garden meals - maybe he will also like chard pancakes!
For adults we sautee with garlic and lemon, or make a Spanish spinach and chickpea dish subbing the chard for spinach (which has never grown well for me). Or it goes in handfuls in soups, pies and stir fries. Lovely video.

[alcinas.]

Steamed stalks and leaves mixed with salt, butter, and vinegar as a side vegetable are 🤤. Chard is actually my favourite garden green. My Grandmas and my Mom both planted lots every year, especially Ford Hook Giant. Chard is so sturdy and forgiving that it’s almost miraculous!

[sandg]

Here in New Zealand chard, or silverbeet as we call it, is our national vegetable. It never seems to stop, and even grows all winter long!

[jagibaba]

Our weather goes to all sorts of extremes here in Slovenia, but chard is generally doing fine! We love to eat it with potatoes as a side dish to fish. Or as a warm cooked (or steamed ) salad on its own, with a bit of salt and olive oil as dressing.

[jm]

I love growing chard, even in my southeast summers that are consistently in the high 90s low 100s it’s always seemed to power through and give me harvests from spring to winter. Super underrated veggie.

[lyta]

I needed to move my chard for a new garden layout. Chopped up the root with a shovel and left it over the winter to break down. It came back! I'll dig up the survivors and move them again at the right time. Love the buttery tasting leaves.

[Braisin-Raisin]

I love chard. Already sowed for this year's crop. I particularly like the white one with broad spines. In Germany it is called: poor man's asparagus. Once cuts the spine into narrow strips crosswise, sauté in butter, a bit of lemon, salt and pepper - delicious.

[sunkisses]

Swiss chard is one on my favourites. I cut it up, put it in a pan with some olive oil, when cooked I add some milk/cream and some blue cheese. All that goes over some spaghetti. A little salad on the side and I am in heaven 🤤 Simple but yummi.

[RussellLang]

My chard sprouted in May last year and it’s still going crazy with beautiful leaves! I’m in South Australia.