Growing Silverbeet, also Swiss Chard or Mangold

Beta vulgaris var. cicla : Amaranthaceae / the amaranth family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
T T T           T T T T
P P P           P P P P

(Best months for growing Silverbeet in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 50°F and 86°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 6 - 12 inches apart
  • Harvest in 7-12 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Beans, brassica sp. (cabbage, cauliflower, etc), tomato, allium sp. (onion, garlic, chives), lavender, parsnip
  • Avoid growing close to: Corn, melon, cucurbit (cucumbers, squash, melons, gourds), most herbs, potato.

Your comments and tips

16 Jan 11, (Australia - temperate climate)
Absolutely! And it also taste's great!
10 Jan 11, Bob (Australia - temperate climate)
Most of you are probably aware of wheatgrass & barleygrass,and their powderised forms which are claimed to be extemely nutritious with the bonus of special health benefits. In a similar fashion, can we safely eat the seeds from plants which have gone to seed and often produce an abundance of seed-heads ?
31 Dec 10, Paul Stothard (Australia - temperate climate)
My mother has some silver beet in the garden which she has been harvesting on a cut and come again basis. Most of the plants have recently started seeding. She would like to know whether the leaves can still be harvested and eaten
01 Jan 11, Elizabeth (Australia - temperate climate)
Yes you can continue to harvest and eat the leaves. Now that it's seeding though once you've harvested this last lot of leaves off you might as well pull out the plant as it won't be producing leaves now.
30 Jan 11, Alison (Australia - temperate climate)
It says on the page above, that if you cut off the plant at the base once it goes to flower, it will regrow, so maybe you don't need to pull the whole plant out?
13 Nov 10, Sri (Australia - temperate climate)
There are onli two reasons your silverbeet has fallen down like that the first one would be not enough water dig some of the soil up around them and see how moist it is sometimes soil looks lovely and wet on the surface but is dry as a bone 15cm down the second reason is that they have completed there life cycle and are dying naturally. You didnt say how long they have been in for but if its more than six months then there done and need replacing.
12 Nov 10, Bill (Australia - temperate climate)
I have grown silverbeet in two section of my garden, one part the vegie grow very wel lbut in the other we have found that the leaves are drying out and it crumbles when touched it has affected the rest. I water every day. What can I do? Thanks
24 Oct 10, sue (Australia - temperate climate)
planted by silverbeet four weeks ago, and the plants are still only a couple of cm high. Prepared soil with good garden soil, blood and bone and a little mulch, and have watered every day. what am I doing wrong???
24 Sep 10, Carol (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My silver beet is getting eaten,never had this problem before ,what is the best spray for it please. Carol.
12 Sep 13, Waldo (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
If you are near a bush area it is probably rats. I have recently had to relocate (trapped) 3 bush rats (there are other ways of dealing with them of course). They were eating my silver-beet and beetroot right back. Now starting to grow again.
Showing 141 - 150 of 222 comments

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