Organic Chard – Rainbow

Description

Organic Chard: Rainbow. Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris Cicla Group.

This variety has stems in 5 colours where it gets its name from. A member of the beetroot family it’s the leaves and stalks that we eat.

How to grow:
Easy to grow. Outdoors: Sow direct successionally into a well prepared seed bed from beginning of March to end of August. Growing time approx. 6 weeks. Will withstand light frosts at the start of the colder weather. Under protection: Sow Sept and Oct for harvest Dec, Jan, Feb.

Problem solving:
Keep slugs off when young. Mostly disease free. Pigeons love this so protect from them.

Favourite ways to eat them:
Great raw in salads and also really good in stir frys. You can use the leaves to make stuffed “vine” leaves.

Cultural history:
Al beetroots are descended from Sea beet, which is in abundance around the coasts of northern Ireland.

Seed weight approx: 50 seeds per gram.