Chard (Swiss chard)
Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris
Botanical family: Amaranthaceae (formerly Chenopodiaceae)
Also called 'bette à carde' or 'poirée', it's the same species as beetroot (Beta vulgaris) but selected for its leaves and stalks rather than its root. Grown in Europe since antiquity. Sow in place from April to June, harvest from July to the first frosts and sometimes beyond under a fleece. Varieties with white, yellow, or red stalks, all edible, simply decorative to varying degrees.
Sun to partial shade
Rich, cool, deep
Regular
Fairly hardy (withstands the first frosts)
Protect over winter in your zone
Role in permaculture
Staggered harvest: you pick the outer leaves as you go, the plant regrows from the centre throughout the season. A good transition plant between late spring and autumn, when spinach bolts.
Good companions
Poor companions
Same family: shared diseases and pests
Insects attracted or useful
Seasons & availability
Available almost all year round, apart from the depths of winter.
Available: March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November.
Guidance for the oceanic / temperate climate; it may vary with your region, altitude, exposure and growing method.
Sources
- RHS, « How to Grow Chard » (rhs.org.uk/vegetables/chard/grow-your-own)
- La Ferme de Sainte Marthe, « Réussir la culture de la poirée ou carde » (fermedesaintemarthe.com/en/blogs/comment-reussir-la-culture-de/reussir-la-culture-de-la-poiree-ou-carde)
- Garden Organic, « Chard (leaf beet) » (gardenorganic.org.uk/expert-advice/how-to-grow/growing-guides/vegetables-herbs-guides/how-to-grow-chard)
Nutritional & medicinal properties
For educational purposes. Not a substitute for medical advice. Effects depend on the form, the dose and personal context.
Precautions & contraindications
Like spinach, sorrel, or rhubarb, chard is rich in oxalates, especially in the leaves: people prone to kidney stones (oxalate lithiasis) should moderate their consumption and favour cooking. Moreover, its richness in vitamin K can interfere with vitamin-K-antagonist (VKA) anticoagulant treatments: if on treatment, it's recommended to keep regular intake and follow the advice of your doctor or pharmacist rather than alternating high and low consumption.
Family behaviour: Amaranthaceae
In general, Amaranthaceae bring together leaves and roots of the same kinship (beetroot, chard, spinach, plus quinoa and amaranth). Often tolerant of poor or slightly salty soils, a legacy of their ancestors from harsh habitats, they are rather hungry for well-rotted organic matter and dislike fresh manure.
Understanding families means learning one rule per family rather than every pairing one by one. Learn more →
Species & varieties
The best-known species and varieties in France.
Common varieties
Voices of peoples
Paraphrases attributed to their documented sources. Never an invented quote.
Greek and Latin naturalists (Aristotle, Theophrastus, Dioscorides, Pliny) · Ancient Mediterranean, from the 4th century BC to the 1st century AD
Chard, or leaf beet, is the 'beta' of the naturalists of the ancient Mediterranean, described well before the selection of the root beet. What the texts attest is the ancient knowledge of varieties distinguished by colour: Aristotle mentions a red chard, Theophrastus separates a white form called 'of Sicily' (Sicula) from a dark form held to be the most esteemed, Dioscorides notes two kinds of it, and the Latin authors, Columella, Pliny, Palladius, Apicius, cite it frequently. One must beware of projecting the modern sugar beet onto it: chard and beet are the same species, Beta vulgaris, but selected in different directions.
E. Lewis Sturtevant, Notes on Edible Plants (entrée Beta vulgaris), compilant Aristote (vers 350 av. J.-C.), Théophraste (Historia Plantarum), Dioscoride et Pline.
Sturtevant is a reliable secondary source that gathers the ancient authors; the Greek and Latin passages have not been re-read in the original, hence the caution about the details of wording. The distinction between chard and beet matters so as not to credit the Ancients with the sugar beet, a modern development. No medicinal use is put forward here.
Keep in mind
Le « défavorable » avec l'épinard et la betterave tient à leur parenté (Amaranthacées) : elles partagent le même agent de la cercosporiose (Cercospora beticola) et se concurrencent. Espacer ces cultures et pratiquer une rotation d'environ trois ans.
A note on rigour: many companion pairings are gardening folklore; this note sums up what the sources say, where there are any.