Plant Library

Group/Class:  Cicla Group

Description:

Closely related to beets, this variety is excellent for both ornamental and culinary purposes; arching, crinkled green leaves are supported by crimson red stalks; richly flavored leaves and stalks are great for salads or sautéing at any stage of growth

Edible Qualities

Rhubarb Red Swiss Chard is an annual vegetable plant that is typically grown for its edible qualities, although it does have ornamental merits as well. The entire above-ground parts of the plant are edible, and are usually harvested from late spring to mid fall. The edible parts have a delicious taste and a crisp texture.

The plant is most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Eating When Cooked/Prepared
• Cooking
• Baking

Planting & Growing

Rhubarb Red Swiss Chard will grow to be about 16 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 10 inches apart. This fast-growing vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop. Because of its relatively short time to maturity, it lends itself to a series of successive plantings each staggered by a week or two; this will prolong the effective harvest period.

This plant is quite ornamental as well as edible, and is as much at home in a landscape or flower garden as it is in a designated vegetable garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and it is considered by many to be an heirloom variety.

Rhubarb Red Swiss Chard is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a canvas of foliage against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.