Vegetable · Amaranthaceae
When to plant swiss chard
Chard is grown for leaves and stalks rather than the swollen root of beetroot. Varieties differ in stem colour, hardiness and vigour; choose for your growing conditions as well as appearance.
Start seed indoors
5 weeks before
Counted from your last spring frost.
Plant out
1 week before
Counted from your last spring frost.
Sow direct
2 weeks before
Counted from your last spring frost.
Choose a place for estimated dates and local climate checks.
Timing, in frost-relative terms
These offsets are the starting assumptions used by our calendar for swiss chard. They do not establish suitability in every climate. Your seed packet, cultivar and local growing advice take priority; in frost-free places the calendar uses monthly temperature patterns instead.
- Start seed indoors 5 weeks before the last frost.
- Plant out 1 week before the last frost.
- Sow direct 2 weeks before the last frost.
- Expect 50–60 days to maturity, counted from sowing.
- Can also be sown in late summer for an autumn crop or to overwinter.
Getting the timing right
Sow or plant into fertile, well-drained soil and thin crowded clusters. Space plants for the harvest size you want: baby leaves and large cooking stems are different targets.
Frost tolerance
Protect tender growth from frost and wait for suitable growing warmth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: duration, wind, plant age and acclimatisation affect damage.
Classified as half-hardy, with a catalog cold-damage reference of -5°C (23°F)23°F (-5°C). Exposure duration, growth stage and acclimatisation change cold tolerance.
Before you plant swiss chard
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 10°C (50°F); the calendar estimates soil warmth from air temperatures and cannot measure your bed.
- Check the local overnight forecast before planting out. Delay planting or keep protection ready if frost is forecast, even after the historical last-frost date.
- Harden off plants raised indoors: gradually expose them to outdoor light, wind and temperature before their final move into the bed.
- Use the maturity range on your seed packet when choosing a variety. Cold, short days and transplant stress can make harvest later than the calendar estimate.
Harvest stems and leaves without exhausting the plant
Sow or plant into fertile, well-drained soil and thin crowded clusters. Space plants for the harvest size you want: baby leaves and large cooking stems are different targets.
Take outer stems cleanly while leaving the growing centre intact. A small repeated harvest lets a healthy plant replace leaves instead of forcing it to recover from complete stripping.
Keep moisture steady and check for leaf damage and flowering stems. When the plant bolts or leaf quality declines, judge whether another sowing is more useful than keeping an old plant indefinitely.
Growing in a container
Chard can be productive in containers. Leave room for individual stems to expand and reach the plant easily without breaking neighbouring leaves.
What to record this season
Which sowing and stem variety gave the longest usable leaf harvest? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.
Further reading: RHS chard growing guide . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.
The RHS guide is written for UK growing conditions. Its cultivation advice does not validate the dates calculated for your town.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy