Beta, Mangold, Seakale Beet, Swiss Chard 'Bright Lights'

I have been growing this wonderful plant for many years in my 7,300 ft. garden. It grows easily and a small patch of it feeds my famil...Read Morey and my friends generously. It's beauty cannot be denied. I have seen it used as an ornamental with great success. It is surprising it hasn't crept into the ornamental landscape more than it has. It is great to have a delicious, nutritious and ornamental plant in the garden!
What citizens of the US lack is recipes for this wonderful plant.

Beautiful, hardy, tasty, mostly pest-free....chard, and this gorgeous colorful variety in particular, is one of my all-time favorite plan...Read Morets. It seems to withstand bad weather, snails, slugs, and earwigs (who seem to live on it but not ruin it), and even lousy transplanting (looked like s--t after I decided to put it in another bed, but rallied big-time). The taste is lovely and sweet, and the texture buttery as long as water is provided regularly. Try this: Chop up an onion and throw it into some olive oil to brown over med-low heat in a big pot while you roughly chop up a big 2 handfuls of this chard's leaves (make sure to remove the slugs, earwigs, and snails..as well as some spiders, & save ribs for soup or whatever). Toss in the chard and some course salt & maybe pepper and let it stew over very low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring sometimes. Great with Polenta, or eat as you would use spinach. If there is any left over use it on a pizza.

It grows very well here all summer long, doing well even in our extended 100+ heat. I planted one bed in full sun and one in partial sha...Read Morede, and the part shade bed did out produce the full sun bed, but the plants in full sun were crisp and healthy, just smaller. (Who knows, maybe it wasn't the sun... it may have been I didn't water it as well or compost that bed enough or even that it didn't like being in bed with hot peppers....) I was also surprised that with NO attention at all, it overwintered here (8a). I didn't mulch, feed, weed or water, and although all the outer leaves wilted and turned brown, here it is almost spring and the center is still quick! Go figure!

Oh!! And I really think the flavour is excellent! More like "greens" than spinach, but not as strong or bitter as collards, mustard greens, etc.

I planted 'Bright Lights' swiss chard last year at the end of January or the first of February for winter and cool weather color in a flo...Read Morewerbed. I had read that it could withstand our Texas summer heat, but doubted this fact. The plants made it through the summer and continue to thrive providing great beauty as well as great "eats".

I find this grows well in the Tucson area all year. I have found it grows best in summer if planted in area that gets approximately 6 hou...Read Morers of direct sunlight. Local nurseries advise not to plant in late Spring or summer. I find that planting at this time is no problem. I plant it in ORO Valley (just North of Tucson, Arizona at about 2600 ft.). It is extremely prolific.

I think I know this plant as 5 color silverbeet. I get way more than 5 colors out of it. Reddish-orange, and striped stems in addition to...Read More the regular. Mine blooms the second year. I had some 10 year old seed from my last seed setting, and the germination was way over 50%. The gophers will eat the roots, only over winter, and the beet leaf miner really destroys the leaves, so I put a row cover of tulle over it.

Weez, just a little addendum to yours........these leaves are great in flower arrangements..boy, do they hold their own!!!! Elaine

Bright Lights is a colorful collection of Swiss chard with stems of electric colors from yellows to deep violet red. It matures in 90 day...Read Mores. Outside leaves can be harvested for "cut and come" all season long. Swiss chard is both delicious and nutritious, and can be steamed, served raw in salad, or used as a wrapper.