vegetable
Swiss chard
The spinach that does not quit in June. Cut stems all summer, then again in fall.
- Sun
- Sun to part shade
- Spacing
- 8–10 in
- Days
- 50–60
- Zones
- 3a–10b
How to sow
Direct-sow after last frost, or start 4 weeks prior. More heat-tolerant than spinach.
Harvest
Outer stems. It will produce until hard frost.
Mistakes that waste a packet
- Treating it like a one-cut green
- Letting leaf miners go without removing eggs
Three packets
Fordhook Giant
BeginnerThick stems, reliable, the workhorse.
Bright Lights
FlavorColor in the bed. Same plant, more looking.
Partner links may earn us a commission. We do not warehouse these packets. See indoor start dates for your ZIP.
Related
Tomatoes
Start indoors. Match days-to-maturity to the weeks you actually have after last frost.
Peppers
Need more heat and a longer indoor start than tomatoes. Short-season varieties matter north of zone 7.
Lettuce
The crop that makes a first garden feel like a garden. Sow in spring and again in late summer.
The sow list
A note when it is time to sow
Seasonal, not daily. We will send what to start in your zone, and skip the rest of the year.
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