Rainbow Chard

Rainbow Chard

by | Jun 4, 2021 | Grow guide

rainbow chard

Plant of The Month Info Card

Rainbow chard is a standout plant in the garden with its vibrant coloured stems and lush green leaves. Chard is super easy to grow and will produce an abundance of edible leaves quickly. You can harvest the outer leaves as you need them and the plant will continue to produce more. This powerhouse vegetable is packed full of vitamins and minerals and can be used in many dishes. It is so versatile!

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SOW

Late summer/ Autumn/ Winter.

SOIL

Deep rich compost & well draining.

LOCATION

Full sun – part shade. Plant 30cm apart.

CARE

Keep weed free. Extra water on hot days.

FERTILISE

Fertilise monthly with organic seaweed solutions.

PESTS

Watch out for slugs, snails, aphids and caterpillars.

HARVEST

8 + weeks. Harvest outer leaves throughout the season.

REPRODUCE

Biannual. Seed pods appear from a central flowers in the second year of growth.

Rainbow Chard

Rainbow Chard or Swiss Chard is actually part of the Beetroot family – Beta vulgaris. Although Rainbow Chard doesn’t form a root-like beetroot, it does have beautiful lush leaves with colourful stems. Rainbow chard is a staple crop to grow because it produces a lot of food on just a couple of plants. It also adds beautiful colour to your garden and dishes during the winter months.

rainbow chard
sustainable lifestyle

How to Grow Rainbow Chard

Rainbow Chard likes cool temperatures and a sunny location. It will also grow in dappled shade at a slower rate which can be good because it is such a generous plant. This slower growth can be a strategic move if you want to plant multiple colour varieties and not be overwhelmed with too much produce. Rainbow Chard grows best in rich, moist soil with a soil pH between 6.0 and 6.8. Plant your seeds or seedlings about 30cm apart in compost-rich soil, and water your seed or seedlings directly after planting. You can direct sow seeds in location or plant them in trays and transplant them when they have produced their first 4 leaves.

When to Plant Rainbow Chard

Rainbow chard can be grown all year round in some climates. It is usually best to grow Rainbow Chard over Autumn and winter as it does not like hot weather. Sow your seeds in the last few months of Summer or during Autumn. Choose a sunny location to plant your Rainbow Chard. You may get away with growing chard over summer if you plant it in a cool shaded area of your garden. In warm weather, the chard leaves will go limp and may get burnt or bolt and go straight to seed. Here in Perth, our summers tend to be too hot for Rainbow Chard but I have had success growing it in shaded areas and making sure it receives water in the mornings. Rainbow chard can handle some frosts.

Care/ Maintenance

Rainbow Chard grows in such abundance so it is best to pick the outer leaves regularly. Keep the plants well-watered on warm days.

Pests / Disease

Chard is pretty hardy against pests but slugs, snails and slatters can be a problem, especially while the plants are young. Plant a few extras throughout your garden and you will be sure to have more than enough chard to eat! Click here for more natural pet management to help keep the pests at bay.

Reproducing / Saving Seeds

Chard seeds can be saved but they usually will only go to seed after their second season as they are Biennial crops. Once the weather gets too hot they will send up flowers and these will turn to seeds. Save the seeds and keep them in a cool, dry, dark space to plant the following Autumn.

Cooking and using Rainbow Chard

Rainbow chard not only brings colour to the garden, but also to the plate. Use chard leaves just like spinach and the colourful stems can be stir-fried, sautéed or even pickled. Add Rainbow Chard to the end of any meal such as curry, soup, stir-fry, omelette or in a salad. Just like spinach, chard cooks down to a small amount so don’t be afraid to add in a little extra. The leaves can be blanched and used to make wraps or dolmades. The Rainbow Chard leaves can be added to pesto. Sautéed Rainbow Chard in butter and garlic makes a quick and easy side dish.

purple rice
beetroot leaf dolmades
garden pesto

Preserving the Harvest

Rainbow Chard can be frozen to add to soups and stocks. To prepare the Chard, rinse the leaves and remove the stalks. The stalks will take longer to cook so I like to freeze them separately. Blanch the leaves in boiling water for 40seconds – 1minute then add to a bowl of iced water. Do the same with the stalks but blanch for 2 minutes and then add to the ice water until completely cool. Shake off the excess water and add to freezer bags or ziplock bags. Try to remove as much of the air from the bags as possible to reduce freezer burn. Keep frozen and use within 6 months. The colourful stems can also be pickled and stored in the refrigerator. Another way to use up your harvest is to make pesto and freeze it in ice cubes. This is great to add extra greens to a dish or for a small serving of pesto for entertaining.

Or try Pickled Rainbow Chard Stalks.

Other Rainbow Chard Recipes

Rainbow Chard

Rainbow Chard

Plant of The Month Info Card Rainbow chard is a standout plant…

Beetroot Leaf Dolmades

Beetroot Leaf Dolmades

by | Aug 19, 2019 | Kitchen, Uncategorized

I am loving growing my own fresh Beetroots but I had no idea how to use the leaves other than adding a little into a stirfry or composting. I am passionate about creating ways to get the most out of everything that I grow! After all, a lot of time, patience and effort went into growing it! These Dolmades completely blew my mind – absolutely delicious! I made this with my purple unicorn rice but you can use plain rice. These can also be made using Rainbow Chard leaves.

Also if you only have liquid vegetable stock just replace with the water in step 1.

Ingredients

  • 1 large freshly picked Beetroot
  • 3/4 cup Long-grain Rice
  • 2-3 Red Cabbage leaves
  • 4 teaspoons Vegetable Stock Powder
  • 1/4 Red Onion
  • 1 small Lemon
  • 1/2 cup Parsley
  • 1/2 packet Haloumi
  • 1/4 dried Cranberries

  • Ricotta (or greek yoghurt), lemon juice and chopped parsley to serve.

Method

  1. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and the cabbage leaves to a saucepan with a lid and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes and gently stir and bruise the cabbage with a spoon a few times to release the colour.
  2. While your purple water is boiling, finely chop your red onion and fry in a small saucepan. Set aside to cool.
  3. Strain the cabbage water into a bowl and discard the leaves (compost). Measure the purple water back into your saucepan and make sure you have 1 cup. Add a little more if it has evaporated.
  4. Quickly rinse your rice under water to remove some of the starch and then add to your purple water along with 2 teaspoons of vegetable stock powder and lighter simmer for 10minutes. remove from the heat and set aside to cool. The rice should be nearly cooked and most of the liquid should be absorbed.
  5. Rinse your beetroot leaves and cut off the stems ( i will work on a recipe for these next but for now future stirfry).
  6. Get a dish (casserole size) and fill with cold water and ice.
  7. In a large saucepan add water and bring to the boil. Place your beet leaves into the boiling water and submerge for about 1 minute. The colour will change to a vibrant green.
  8. Carefully remove the leaves and place directly into the ice bath so that they stop cooking and retain their vibrant colour.
  9. Once they have cooled down after a minute or so remove the leaves and lay them flat on to a tea towel to dry off a bit. You may need to use a couple of tea towels depending on how many leaves you to have and how big they are.
  10. Into a bowl add the zest of one lemon, chopped parsley, cooked red onion, haloumi chopped into small pieces, cranberries and purple rice. Mix to combine and then squeeze over 1/4 wedge of lemon juice.
  11. Lay your beet leaves shiny side down and add a small amount of mixture to the base near the stem. Fold the sides in and then roll-up.
  12. Once all your mixture is used, place your rolled Dolmades with the end piece on the bottom into a large saucepan.
  13. Drizzle with oil and mix the last two teaspoons of vegetable stock with one cup of water and add to the saucepan. Cover and simmer for 10-15mins.
  14. Serve with greek yoghurt, tzatziki or I used Ricotta mixed with lemon juice and chopped parsley.

  • purple cabbage
  • natural dye
  • purple rice
  • rice filling
  • beetroot
  • beetroot leaves
  • blanch leaves
  • beetroot leaves
  • rice filling
  • purple rice filling
  • purple rice
  • beetroot leaves
  • dolmades
  • beetroot dolmades
  • cooking dolmades
  • beetroot leaf dolmades

If you have any ideas for using Beetroot Leaves leave me a comment below! Tag me on Instagram if you make these delicious Dolmades, I would love to see your versions.

Holly 🌱

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