Firebird (F1) Swiss Chard Seed

Scientific name

Beta vulgaris

Growing conditions

Give chard soil above pH 6.0. It likes cool to mild weather but copes with some heat. Seed germinates anywhere from 40 to 100°F (5–38°C), best around 86°F (30°C). Seedlings handle light frost and grown plants moderate frost. Long spells in the low 50s °F can push young plants of some varieties to bolt. In mild areas chard often overwinters.

Days to maturity

Counted from direct sowing.

Pelleted seed

Keep the soil evenly moist while pelleted seed germinates. Store pellets cool and dry, and sow within a year. The pellets are size 18.0, made from inert NOP-compliant materials, for seeders with an 18.0 belt and many precision seeders; they can be too heavy for air or vacuum planters.

Transplanting

In early spring, about 5–6 weeks before planting out once hard frosts are rare, sow 2–3 seeds per cell, 1/2" deep, in 72- or 128-cell trays, in a cold frame or indoors. Thin to 1–2 plants per cell and set out 4–6" apart in rows 12–18" apart.

Direct sowing

For bunching: from midspring into midsummer (or fall where winters are mild), sow about 6 seeds per foot, 1/2" deep, in rows 12–18" apart, and thin to 4–6" for bigger leaves. For baby leaf: from midspring to late summer (fall in mild-winter areas), sow 2–4 seeds per inch, 1/4–1/2" deep, in rows at least 2" apart. Overcrowding stunts plants, so widen the rows if you sow more thickly.

Seeding rate

Bunching, at 6 seeds per foot in rows 24" apart: about 1 oz. per 300 ft., 3¼ oz. per 1,000 ft. and 4½ lb. per acre. Baby leaf: about 4,000 seeds per 100 ft. (1 oz. per 45 ft.).

Pelleted seeding rate

At 6–12 pellets per foot: about 261,360–522,700 pellets per acre in 12" rows, or 174,240–348,480 in 18" rows.

Pests and disease

Rotate crops to keep Cercospora leaf spot and other problems down.

Harvest

Bunching: cut or snap off mature outer leaves one at a time; new leaves keep coming for repeat harvests. Baby leaf: cut with a knife at 3–6", about an inch above the soil and above the growing point, and cut again 5–14 days later as the leaves regrow.

Decorticated seed

The seed has been rubbed to take off its rough, corky edges so it flows evenly through seeders.

Sized seed

Chard seed is graded to a similar size for precise spacing and even emergence, unless the description says otherwise.

Seeds per lb.

About 30,900 on average (range 23,700–48,500).

Packet

200 seeds.

Seeds per lb.

About 35,200 on average.