5 Helpful Steps to Grow Swiss Chard in Pots

Contrary to what many might think, most vegetables can be grown in containers, and Swiss chard is no exception. If you ask yourself how you can grow swiss chard in pots, then this is the article you are looking for! Swiss chard is perfect for growing on the balcony: it grows excellently in pots, looks extremely beautiful and can often be harvested over six months. He does not make any great demands on the location, only extreme heat could be a problem. Many gardeners have developed a taste for Swiss chard and learned to cook with it, and it is a reliable harvest.

To grow swiss chard in pots is a great way for city dwellers to grow vegetables. Swiss chard is less fine than garden spinach and has a milder taste than kale. The best part about growing Swiss chard in containers is that you can place your pots anywhere in your garden that has good sunlight. Read on to learn more about how you can grow swiss chard in containers.

Chosing The Right Swiss Chard Container

If you only want to harvest tender, fresh leaves, you can grow Swiss chard in pots with a minimum height of 10 cm, even in balcony boxes. For large leaves and stalked chard, a container for a plant must have a diameter of at least 25 cm.

Location and Soil

As a leafy vegetable, Swiss chard needs evenly moist soil so that the leaf stalks remain tender. To grow swiss chard in pots, use a deep, humus-rich and nutrient-rich soils with a good structure. The cultivation corresponds to that of the beetroot, however, When you grow swiss chard in pots, it does not attach great importance to deep loosening of the soil. A sunny, at most partially shaded location is suitable as a planting place. To prepare the container, loosen the soil with a cultivator or sow tooth. Work in some compost and horn shavings for sufficient nutrient supply.

Furthermore, you have to know that Swiss chard is a middle eater. Anyone who buys new soil chooses a universal soil of good quality. Unfortunately, the quality cannot be read on the bag, so we have no choice but to trust the price tag. Used and self-mixed soil is also suitable. However, this must be processed. In addition, the rules of crop rotation should also be applied in the pot: While growing swiss chard in pots, no plants from the same family (spinach and beetroot) must have grown in the ground before the chard.

Sow and Grow Swiss Chard in Pots

Swiss chard can be sown over a very long period of time: depending on the variety, sowing is possible from April to the beginning of July.¹ However, depending on the weather, Swiss chard sown from mid-June will not be ready for harvest until next spring. May is the best time to sow: in may your Swiss chard container will provide you with delicious leaves in summer and autumn. The only drawback with this method: Only the boring, white varieties are suitable for wintering. Colorful chard is unfortunately not sufficiently frost-resistant. By the way, the sowing depth is 2 cm.

You can accelerate germination with a mini greenhouse and a heating mat. First, fill the pots to about two thirds with potting soil. Then, put the seeds in and cover them with about 1cm of potting soil. At this point in time, the seeds and seedlings cannot tolerate vegetable soil. Then water the Swiss Chard Container vigorously and put it in a warm place. After just 7-10 days you will see the first chard seedlings that continue to grow rapidly. Only one seedling should grow per pot. If you have more than one seedling per nursery pot, you can prick out small plants and move the surplus seedlings into their own pot.

Care

Swiss chard is relatively undemanding and does not require any elaborate care rituals. Watering regularly is important. Adequate watering will keep the leaves fresh and tender. The soil should always be moist but not watery. As always, avoid waterlogging! Especially on hot days you shouldn’t get the chard leaves wet, otherwise they burn easily. It is better to water the soil directly.

Since Swiss chard is a middle eater, your plant needs some fertilizer at regular intervals. If you grow Swiss chard in a flower pot, you can add some liquid fertilizer every six weeks to ensure sufficient nutrient supply. Loosening the soil every now and then does no harm, but the undemanding Swiss chard grows very reliably even without loosening it. A ratio of 2:1 vermicompost–coir mix is recommended for swiss chard grown in pots.²

Swiss Chard Seeds for Next Spring

If you grow swiss chard in pots, it will begin to bloom in the second year. The chard begins to shoot from around May and begins to flower. The flowering can be delayed by a cut, but you should not cut again in June if you want to harvest seeds. Then the chard quickly gains height and soon begins to bloom. After flowering, the chard dries out slowly. Then the chard seeds form on the stems. They can easily be picked up with your finger. The seeds should dry for 2-3 days after harvesting and then be stored in a dry, dark and airtight place. After that, the seeds can be stored for about a year. The perfect basis for the next chard seed next spring.

References

1. Traunfeld, J., Smetana, J., Nixon, B., & Yen, P. (2010). Swiss Chard.
2. Abbey, L., Young, C., Teitel-Payne, R., & Howe, K. (2012). Evaluation of proportions of vermicompost and coir in a medium for container-grown Swiss chard. International journal of vegetable science, 18(2), 109-120.