How to grow them
Sow 2cm deep and thin to 30cm. It shrugs off heat and drought, and plants sown in July will stand the winter and crop again in spring.
Salads and leaves
Chard
Spinach's tougher cousin, with stems in red, yellow and pink. One sowing feeds you for nearly a year.
- Buy as
- Seed
- Space
- 30cm between plants, 40cm between rows
- Position
- Sun or light shade
- Rotation
- Fits anywhere
- Difficulty
- Easy
The year
Sow outdoors
Harvest
When to pick
Pull off the outer leaves, leaving the centre to grow on.
What goes wrong
Problems, and what to do
Slugs on seedlings
Protect when small.
Bolting
Early sowings may run to seed. Sow from mid April.
Good neighbours: Beans, Onions.