Swiss Chard - Bright Lights

Bright Lights - Offers an attractive rainbow of colors and mild chard flavor. Small leaves can be used raw in salads, steamed or in stir frys. The stalks can be cooked like asparagus. The leaves remain a bright green while the stalks and veins are beautiful shades of reds, golds, purple and orange. Planting tips: Sow in open ground as soon as the ground can be worked. Chard prefers full sun. Soaking the seeds in water 24 hours before planting will speed up the germination process. Thin when plants are a few inches tall. Control weeds with mulch. Prefers sun to partial shade. If planting in a container, use a 12” container or larger. If you want to keep the plants small and harvest while the stems are small, plant about 6 to 9 inches apart and harvest when the stems are about 4” in height. For larger stems, plants can be planted 9 to 12 inches apart. Seed Planting Depth - ¾ inch, Seed Spacing - 6 inches, Days to Germination - 7-14 days, Plant spacing after thinning - 6-12 inches, Row spacing - 18 inches, Plant Height - 12-24 inches. When harvesting, leave about 1 ½ to 2 inches of stem above the growing tip to promote more leaf growth for an extended harvest.

Saving Seeds: This plant is biennial, it will not seed until its second year. Harvest stems right above the soil line and stalks will grow back. If saving seeds, harvest when ⅔ of plants are brown. Run a gloved hand along stocks to dislodge seeds. Screen or winnow seeds after dislodging and store in a cool dry place.