Swiss Chard
This green, leafy vegetable is hardy green that is well suited for colder climates. It grows fast, enjoys the cold and I have even picked it through snowfalls into October. They regrow quickly as well so as long as you harvest the outer leaves they will continue to produce all summer and fall.
Cooked as a green or in a stir fry, you can separate the larger stalks from the leaves and cook the stalks a bit longer. Simple quick steaming does the trick.
Start seeds by placing between two moist paper towels for 24 hours. Then plant directly in the ground in very shallow holes. They can be planted directly in the moist soil as well.
Plant in the sun to partial shade in fertile soil. Will grow in pretty much any soil. They will quickly overpower smaller plants by shading them out. Water regularly and harvest from midsummer on by tearing or cutting the outer leaves off frequently.
Preservation
Blanch and freeze wither whole leaves or just the stems. Pickled Stems (In Beet Juice).
Days to Grow: 40
Spacing: 4 per square foot
Effort: None to Minimal
Plant: 2 weeks before Last Frost
Yield: Continuous
Loves cooler weather, and can survive hard frost
Gardening Shortcut Links
Square Foot Gardening
Information and resources for square foot gardening here in NW Ontario.
Excel Garden Planner
An excel worksheet I developed to help plan and track my square foot gardening.
North Hardy Plants
Not all plants will grow here, but a lot will.
Useful Resources
The following are additional resources and information as well as basic information for growing this and many other garden plants here in NW Ontario.
Square Foot Gardening Basics
Preserving methods
High productivity, small area
About Garden Planning
Laying out your garden and pre-planning what to plant is best accomplished over the winter months. It gives you escape from the north winds, allows for ordering of seeds and allows you to put some time and effort into laying out your garden.
Since I use the square foot gardening method, I have created a garden planner using Microsoft excel. It allows you layout your garden using the cells in excel, then based on what plants you choose it will calculate planting/harvest times, potential yields, how many seeds you will need and more.
The Garden planner is provided as is, I can and will answer questions on using it and I have made videos on using it. I am hoping to have a full updated version ready for 2019 planning season.
