Chard

 Chard, often called “Swiss chard” is a cold hardy green that does well in the cold frame here in Maine. Swiss chard is a relative of the beet and has bright green leaves with bright red, yellow or white ribs and veins. The leaves can get quite large- about a foot and a half in our garden, but can be used at any size. 

The seeds for our winter harvest were planted in late August in the cold frame. By November when it starts getting cold the chard stops growing, but inside the cold frame it stays harvestable through winter.

In March we took the cold frame off to open up more garden space for the plants. We planted chard seeds around the remaining winter crop. Through June we have been harvesting both the baby leaves from the new plants, and the rest of the larger leaves from the winter crop.

The over wintered plants are going to seed now in late June while the ones planted in March are mature. We'll be getting the cold frames ready before long and start the process all over again. The winter chard will be planted in a different section of the garden and something else will go where this year's chard is. We like to use crop rotation believing it to be one of the keys to a vibrant and healthy harvest. -G.H.