Native plants, as the name indicates, grow naturally in an area or region. There is a growing shift among many people away from a manicured garden with non-local species in support of more natural areas, and especially, for embracing native plants.
06.08.2024 - 13:51 / gardenerspath.com / Lorna Kring
How to Grow Swiss Chard for Fall Harvests
As midsummer hits its stride with long, hot days, the production of leafy greens often slows or stops as plants bolt and prepare to set seed.
But you can extend the season for fresh, crisp greens with a late planting of cool-season favorites like Swiss chard.
Chard comes in a rainbow of brightly hued colors, with a highly attractive ornamental value for the fall garden, as well as outstanding nutrition and kitchen uses.
It’s one of those easy and fast-growing veggies that can deliver multiple harvests per season.
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Flavors improve with cool nights, and plants can even withstand a light frost – but not a sustained freeze.
Let’s dig into the details on how and when to plant Swiss chard for delicious harvests in the fall.
Swiss Chard PrimerThis beautiful, savoyed leafy green is a member of the Amaranthaceae family that’s native to the Mediterranean.
A close relative of the beet, it has foliage with an upright growth habit that develops in a fanning form, and has been bred to emphasize the large edible leaves and stems.
The roots are non-bulbous and don’t form an underground storage organ like typical beets.
Also known as leafy beet, perpetual spinach, Roman kale, rhubarb chard, seakale beet, and Sicilian beet, Swiss chard is a biennial that flowers and sets seed in its second year.
Cultivars are vividly colored, with orange, pink, red, yellow, and white stems and veins that contrast with and complement lovely leaves of bronze, green, or purple.
Eaten raw, it has a mild, sweetly earthy flavor with a hint of bitterness that’s quite like spinach. Cooked, the flavor mellows
Native plants, as the name indicates, grow naturally in an area or region. There is a growing shift among many people away from a manicured garden with non-local species in support of more natural areas, and especially, for embracing native plants.
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Susan Calhoun’s garden in Poulsbo, Washington started out as an ugly patch of lawn that stretched along a property line. It was close to the shoreline and extremely close to a neighboring house. She craved privacy and four-season appeal but didn’t want to install a heavy line of shrubs or trees and create a claustrophobic “garden room.” Always having been a big fan of ornamental grasses and their undeniable texture, Susan decided to build a double border with grasses as the backbone. To that foundation, she added colorful plants that shine in different seasons, ensuring that this garden always looks good. Susan insists that designing this type of magical garden was easy; it just took the right planning and plants. The following are some of the main areas of this enchanting space, and the perennials, grasses, trees, and shrubs that help it shine.