Feurio Chard

Mature Plants: Harvest individual leaves with pruners or a knife as plant matures. Do not take more than 1/3 of the leaves at any one time. Baby Leaves: Cut entire plant with scissors 1-2” above soil level so that you don’t damage the growing crown. Plants will regrow.

Chard is a fairly difficult seed saving crop in northern climates because it is a biennial so plants need to survive the winter (in a hoophouse or root cellar) in order to flower in year two. Dig plants in fall, select best plants for the seed crop, trim off leaves, and store in moist sand or sawdust at 34-40° 95% humidity. Plant outside 5/1, 30” apart and they will flower and produce seed over the summer. Chards are wind pollinated and cross-pollinated crops (isolation distance from beets is 1-2 miles). But since beets & chard don’t normally overwinter and flower you won’t usually need to worry about crossing unless 1) neighbors are saving beet/chard seeds or 2) you live near sugar beet fields which are usually GMO (sometimes sugar beet plants will bolt). Minimum population size: 25 plants.