Growing Silverbeet

Originating from the picturesque Mediterranean and coastal regions of Southern Europe, silverbeet is a nice easy crop to grow, producing very quickly, making it a wonderfully rewarding and confidence boosting veggie. It's usually a high production crop too, with each plant producing many leaves constantly, which is great as thats what we're going to eat.

Did you know that Aristotle described red stalked Chard growing as far back as 350BC!!

Probably the most common variety you'll see is the Fordhook Giant. Introduced to the public around 1924, this is a high yielding, very easy to grow variety, that produces decent sized leaves with plenty of nutrient content. Although the more nutrients you provide, the more you receive in turn, along with a better yield.

Fordhook is an open pollinated variety that had large, deep green leaves with 'white', sturdy stems, this variety holds it's own fairly well with heat, although you will still have to water as can still bolt, or wilt and wither.

Note: Bolting is when the plant develops a flower head (then seeds), no longer really producing foliage, as it has reached its reproductive stage.

Did you know: Silverbeet is a very close relative of beetroot!

There are other varieties of silverbeet available, whilst the tops stay green, the stems can be quite funky, being orange, yellow, red, pink, white and green (perpetual).

These varieties come under names like:

Rainbow Chard, Ruby Red, Orange Fantasia and Golden Sunrise.

Note: Many people think of silverbeet and spinach as the same thing, but they are different plants! Spinach have more tender, flatter leaves with thin green stems whereas silverbeet have much bigger, and crinkled leaves (which can become almost leathery if left too long) with thick stalks.

Planting is easy and can generally be done year round via seedlings. Seeds are fairly easy to grow and readily avaialble. In temperate climates like mine, the best germination period is spring/ summer, alternatively, if flower heads are left, you will have hundreds of self-seeded little ones all over your patch! They prefer full sun (to part shade) in a rich, well-draining soil.

One of the biggest pests to your crop will be snails! However I have been experimenting with alternative ways to stop them in their tracks, and, we have a winner....Coffee grounds! 

They can be a silverbeets, or any leafy greens, best friend, the caffeine acts as a deterrent whilst the grounds themselves are a great source of nitrogen, which is the main nutrient responsible for all that luscious yummy growth!

Along with being easy to grow, they contain many minerals and nutrients such as vitamin A, C, and K, along with magnesium, potassium, iron and heaps of fibre. Its a great veg for blood health, the heart and circulation and contains antioxidant properties.

I think it's a veggie worth growing, don't you. Happy gardening everyone.