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Post by ladymarmalade on Jul 15, 2017 9:43:30 GMT -5
There's not really a good spot to put a Swiss Chard thread. So I'll just put one in with the lettuces. I always have a patch or two of Swiss Chard going in my garden. If I have a terrible gardening year, I usually still have Swiss Chard. I love that you can remove leaves for a meal or two and the plant just keeps on going. We like the baby greens in salad raw, but the more mature greens I chop up and add to all kinds of cooked dishes. During a really bumper year I will blanch and freeze chopped chard for stew use in the winter. This year I'm afraid the Asian Beetles have decided they like the Swiss Chard. I can't imagine what else is eating the greens. I still have plenty, but there are several leaves that are nothing but lace. Also this year, new to me, I appear to have two bunches that are bolting? Swiss Chard is biennial, meaning it produces seed the second year in a more moderate climate. I wonder if the up and down weather has tricked some of the plants into producing a flower? At least, I think that's what's going on. I've never had Swiss Chard look like this! I'm just going to watch it and see what it does- I've never been able to save seed from Swiss Chard, so I would love to be able to do so if we get to that point.
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Post by daylilydude on Jul 15, 2017 19:45:19 GMT -5
Your so lucky... I went to 4 different stores that sell seeds and can't find any Swiss Chard seeds, so it looks like it will be coming off of my fall garden list...
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Post by ladymarmalade on Jul 15, 2017 19:53:28 GMT -5
Your so lucky... I went to 4 different stores that sell seeds and can't find any Swiss Chard seeds, so it looks like it will be coming off of my fall garden list... Oh no you don't. Guess who still has your address? Swiss Chard seeds will be in tomorrow's mail!
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Post by ladymarmalade on Jul 15, 2017 19:57:08 GMT -5
Er...Make that Monday's mail. Tomorrow is Sunday.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jul 15, 2017 20:07:24 GMT -5
You beat me to it, ladymarmalade! What kind did you send him? I have a number of varieties - I'll post them when I go down. One is meant for container gardening - Pot of Gold - which I remember because I just put some in a few SIPs, replacing things that I had taken out or had died. I always replace things, or fill up excess spots with chard seeds, since it is a favorite green, and survives the summer fairly well here. I put some of the colorful ones in my front flowerbed, to go with the peppers. Don't forget daylilydude - the seeds are clusters of seeds, not just one. You can break them up, and they will sprout faster, and you can space them out more.
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Post by ladymarmalade on Jul 15, 2017 20:17:50 GMT -5
I have Bright Lights to send. It's my favorite and I bought a few extra packs just in case this year.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jul 15, 2017 21:53:18 GMT -5
I have the following:
Perpetual Spinach 2017 El Dorado 2016 (gold stems) Rainbow - Neon Glow 2016 (neon pink and gold stems and veins) Pot of Gold 2015 (gold stems and veins)
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Post by spacecase0 on Jul 16, 2017 1:14:50 GMT -5
I have chard seeds, (about a gallon of them (if I did not loose them moving) ) they made leaves through months of 100F + weather and only the next year they made seeds should have about a gallon of the seeds tell me if you want them sent. and they are just chard, there is no type to them, was a bit of all the colors
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Post by horsea on Jul 16, 2017 22:16:26 GMT -5
I always thought Swiss Chard was understood to be the kind with a wide, thick, white stem and crinkly leaves. I grow the socalled "Perpetual Spinach" Pepperhead mentioned. It's the best, if you ask me. It's also known as Bietina or Italian Swiss Chard. FWIW. Something is chewing a bit at mine, too. Feh.
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Post by daylilydude on Jul 17, 2017 4:21:16 GMT -5
ladymarmalade, pepperhead212, spacecase0, horsea, WOW!! Thanks everyone for the offers everyone... y'all are really generous, but I just need some for a fall crop. I planned on buying these so if'n I need to send an SASE I will!
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Saltflower
Pro Member
Posts: 336
Joined: July 2017
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Post by Saltflower on Jul 20, 2017 16:58:10 GMT -5
What's FWIW?
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Post by daylilydude on Jul 20, 2017 17:09:51 GMT -5
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Post by ladymarmalade on Jul 20, 2017 20:29:45 GMT -5
I always thought Swiss Chard was understood to be the kind with a wide, thick, white stem and crinkly leaves. I grow the socalled "Perpetual Spinach" Pepperhead mentioned. It's the best, if you ask me. It's also known as Bietina or Italian Swiss Chard. FWIW. Something is chewing a bit at mine, too. Feh.It's the Japanese Beetles for me.
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Post by horsea on Jul 20, 2017 22:20:34 GMT -5
ladymarmalade. Big holes like that are usually slugs. However, maybe it's different where you live. But here - it's always slugs. That's our main problem. Have you actually seen the Japanese beetles? Jes' askin'.
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Post by ladymarmalade on Jul 21, 2017 9:08:27 GMT -5
Yep. They've been spotted, unfortunately. So far they seem to prefer the chard and the raspberry plants- that's where I've found them.
However, I've had issues with slugs in the past, so that does not mean the slugs aren't contributing. I'm going to put some slug bait down before we leave for the week. Thanks for that reminder!
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Saltflower
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Posts: 336
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Post by Saltflower on Jul 22, 2017 17:58:02 GMT -5
Oh! Thanks DaylilyDude!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2017 15:08:31 GMT -5
I do love the swiss chards, all the types. Hard to kill, LOL, and even tolerates our heat here. So many ways to use it, too. I even use the stalks, why waste them, just start them way before the leafy parts
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Post by september on Aug 5, 2017 9:42:08 GMT -5
Not sure what has become of my chard and kale. They were at the far end of my lettuce bed that I allowed to become overrun with tall weeds. Once I tear the weeds out, they probably will be a thin floppy mess! Hope they can come back stronger from the root once they get a little sun and space.
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Post by ahntjudy on Feb 7, 2018 21:44:15 GMT -5
chard seeds - the seeds are clusters of seeds, not just one. You can break them up, and they will sprout faster, and you can space them out more. I was reading through this old thread...Been growing chard forever... Knew that chard seeds were seed clusters but did not know that you could break them up and have them still germinate...but why not? ... ...that makes total sense... Plus it would be a super perk 'cuz I'm pretty terrible sometimes about thinning things in a timely fashion, if you know what I mean... ... I suppose this could be done with beets too...why not too?... Will try that this season...glad I read this...
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Feb 7, 2018 22:30:37 GMT -5
I've grown bright lights and rainbow, but it was quite awhile ago. It's a little bitter to me, but I can eat it. I just prefer Bok Choy more.
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Post by brownrexx on Feb 8, 2018 8:59:11 GMT -5
We grow Bright Lights here and it is totally bug free so I like it. hairymooseknuckles, is bok choy in the cabbage family? I would have to cover that if it is. I have not eaten that in years but I remember liking it.
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Post by ahntjudy on Feb 8, 2018 9:09:46 GMT -5
I'm pretty much the 'stick in the mud'...I've only ever grown fordhook giant...It does well... Have to try bright lights too this year...get out of the rut... At some point in the season, it requires daily patrol if I can...and inspection of undersides of all the leaves for the squishing of the leaf miner eggs...they're a real problem here...as well as the squishing of the larvae eating the leaves that got ahead of me... Pretty time consuming but necessary if I want decent harvests... I have memories as a child of my Uncle John, bringing bushel baskets of gorgeous swiss chard to the kitchen for my Ahntie to prepare... Years later, I became the 'Uncle John' bringing armloads of it to the kitchen to Mom who was waiting for me at the sink...
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Feb 8, 2018 10:24:10 GMT -5
brownrexx, I think it is cabbage family. Not 100% sure though.
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Post by ladymarmalade on Feb 8, 2018 12:47:23 GMT -5
Bok choy is in the cabbage family, yet a different relative. Cabbage, Kale, Broccoli, etc are the Brassica Oleracea family, where Bok Choy, Mizuna, Broccoli Raab and Choy Sum (to name a few) are Brassica Rapa.
Not related to Swiss Chard at all. It's interesting that bok choy would be the preferred green in Texas- only because for me, it bolts to seed so incredibly fast. One day I'm waiting for it to size up and the next day it's suddenly pushing out flower stalks and has become bitter. However, I do like to buy it when I can find it!
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Post by brownrexx on Feb 8, 2018 13:08:06 GMT -5
Bok choy is in the cabbage family Maybe I'll purchase a couple of seedlings to put under cover with my cabbage seedlings. I don't grow any of the cabbage family without covers due to the cabbage butterfly. I would have plants full of yucky worms.
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Post by paquebot on Feb 8, 2018 16:52:15 GMT -5
brownrexx, you don't buy bok choy seedlings. Most are in the 30-45 day range. If started in small cells, many would begin to bolt within a couple weeks. They are usually planted direct and thinned according to size of variety. My favorite is Toy Choi, ready in 30 days. Only 5" to 6" tall and can be spaced at 4". For chard, I grew Bright Lights, Prima Rosa, and Pepperment last year. Liked Peppermint the best. I planted 2 or 3 in 7-gallon pots containing old horse manure. Monster plants with a single leaf and stalk almost being enough for a meal. Best that I ever had was a yellow Italian variety obtained in a trade many years ago. Martin The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by ahntjudy on Jul 22, 2018 19:47:52 GMT -5
Got the swisschard picked yesterday... Couldn't have jammed any more leaves in those containers if I tried...It was a huge harvest... Brought a great big bunch of the best leaves to my Italian garden buddy across the street...He liked that... Prepared most of it with some of my fresh garlic...So good...
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2018 19:57:29 GMT -5
If you water both SC and Bok Choy, they get sweeter, so to speak. They also seem to hold a bit better in the fridge when nice and "plumped" up by watering well for a few days before harvesting.
Edit:
Have you ever used the SC as a cabbage leaf for rolls? Works great.
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Post by brownrexx on Jul 23, 2018 6:33:51 GMT -5
Your Swiss chard looks beautiful ahntjudy , and that garlic - it's picture perfect!
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Post by ahntjudy on Jul 23, 2018 6:36:45 GMT -5
@imp...I never thought of using swisschard leaves for roll-ups... What a great idea!...Lots of possibilities there!!!...
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