Swiss Chard

Here are some tips for growing Swiss chard:

Site, soil type:	Swiss chard tolerates low fertility soil. It prefers cool weather. It benefits from partial shade in summer.
Planting requirements:	Swiss chard can be planted early, as soon as the ground can be worked. Chard is frost tolerant. Sow seeds ½ inch deep. 6 inches apart, eventually thinning to 12 inches. Row cover will help warm the soil and seeds for quicker germination.
Nutrition/Fertilizer needs:	Chard is a light feeder. Depending on soil quality, add a nitrogen fertilizer (fish meal, blood meal, etc.) for good leafy growth, as needed.
Water needs:	Keep soil moist at all times for healthy plants.
Other tips:	Chard is one green that will grow through most of the summer without bolting. Harvest over a long period by picking leaves that reach the desired size and leaving the plant to continue producing more. Grow a tender variety for late summer salads. Chard is rarely troubled by pests. I had a little trouble with grasshoppers wanting the leaves last year.

Insect Invasion?

Squash bugs? Cucumber beetles? Squash vine borers? Root maggots? Flea beetles? Cabbage worms? This product will help: Summerweight Garden Fabric 6' x 20' It also will help keep the rabbits and deer from munching your goodies.

Learn how to Improve your vegetables’ flavor

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A Great Hose…

I love my expandable garden hose! It's lightweight and easily moves around the garden with me. It doesn't get kinked or tangled. Hoses can be such a pain, even the ones that say they won't kink. And they are heavy and bulky and bothersome to wind up to make the garden neat. Not this one. Recoiling it is a breeze!
Find this hose here at Amazon.com.

Vinegar Kills Weeds!

Many gardeners report success with regular household vinegar. It has 5% acetic acid and 95% water. But for an even more effective weapon, vinegar with 20% acetic acid is sold as a non-toxic herbicide. I recommend experimenting with diluting the 20% vinegar to make it last longer. University studies say that 10-20% vinegar is effective. Vinegar is a quick-acting, non-selective contact herbicide and its residues degrade promptly in the soil. Foliar contact results in rapid dehydration of annual weeds and grasses, and top growth reduction of herbaceous perennial weeds and grasses. 20% vinegar may be applied up to two days before harvest. Find 20% vinegar here. 20% vinegar is non-food grade and is strong. Read application instructions carefully.

Critter Ridder

A motion-activated sprinkler WORKS to keep deer, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, dogs, and cats out of your garden. These sprinklers give a strong blast of water that lasts for 15 seconds. They have a sensor with night only, day only, and always on activation modes. One user says “My experience is that the sound of the sprinkler, and the sound of the water suddenly hitting plants startles and scares away the animals. It doesn't matter if the spray is aimed to actually hit the animal.” Here is a YouTube video of this action. At Amazon, you can find the Orbit 62100 Yard Enforcer Motion Activated Sprinkler. It works well to detect and surprise encroaching critters.

Row cover for cold protection

Floating row cover is a lightweight blanket for your plants. It’s an easy way to extend your growing season. With row cover, your seeds will germinate faster and the plants will get off to a better start. The highest quality of row cover I’ve found is called Agribon. Agribon is made in several different weights. Agribon 19 offers several degrees of frost protection. I have had 12-15 degrees of protection with this product. Agribon 19 also allows 85% of light transmission. This product is for sale at Amazon.

Grow Great Vegetables

Tips, Tricks and Tools!

Swiss Chard

Here are some tips for growing Swiss chard:

Site, soil type:

Swiss chard tolerates low fertility soil. It prefers cool weather.

It benefits from partial shade in summer.

Planting requirements:

Swiss chard can be planted early, as soon as the ground can be worked. Chard is frost tolerant.

Sow seeds ½ inch deep. 6 inches apart, eventually thinning to 12 inches.

Row cover will help warm the soil and seeds for quicker germination.

Nutrition/Fertilizer needs:

Chard is a light feeder. Depending on soil quality, add a nitrogen fertilizer (fish meal, blood meal, etc.) for good leafy growth, as needed.

Water needs:

Keep soil moist at all times for healthy plants.

Other tips:

Chard is one green that will grow through most of the summer without bolting. Harvest over a long period by picking leaves that reach the desired size and leaving the plant to continue producing more.

Grow a tender variety for late summer salads.