[Sleepingpopman]

Hi Everyone 
My Brother lives in Hastings & was given a collection of Funky seeds which inc' Rainbow Chard.
Neither of us have ever grown chard before so we've both read our veg gardening books & they
all say that you sow the seed in spring & can hopefully harvest June/July, they also say that if you
over winter them under straw you should get a crop again in spring.
Question:- Do you then have to pull them up & start again or do they carry on for another year, we
presume you start again.
Any help will be gratefully received.
Keith.

[Growster...]

You can leave them where they are, Sleep. They die back to very little, then re-start the following spring!

It's quite a forgiving plant, and worth growing!

[ptarmigan]

At some point after you've overwintered them and they grow again they will go to seed, that is they will start growing upwards, having smaller leaves and trying to flower.  Put you can carry on using the leaves, they don't seem to go bitter or tough. HOwever, at some point, maybe September, you will have to pull them out.  But you'll have some new ones started by then to carry on the cycle.

I really like it as a veg and mostly use it as a substitute for spinach, the Yotam Otolgenghi has some good recipes for it if you google,  it's really handy this time of year when there's not a lot else about.

[Mr Dog]

I've never found that my chard 'dies back' over winter. Together with kale, we pick it continually as greens all winter for both ourselves and Henry, our guinea pig (he'd kill you for a leaf  ). The current plants (rainbow and white silver), which have been in since last June, look as though they might be just beginning to think about bolting. It's a fantastic crop IMHO.

[ptarmigan]

Mine doesn't always die back, but it did this year, well it sulked and didn't do anything much...Sometimes I get a much longer picking season.

Oh and agree that Kale is a great crop as well, especially over the winter, really tasty. I like the Cavolo Nero.

[gypsy]

The 1st gentle frost killed my ruby chard last year. It was the first time I had grown chard and expected it to carry on through the winter. I was quite surprised when it died.

[heloise]

I have found the red plants in Rainbow chard are less hardy.  I've grown them for  few years and they're great plants, very tasty, but it has always been the white that last all winter rather than any other colour.

[gypsy]

I have found the red plants in Rainbow chard are less hardy.  I've grown them for  few years and they're great plants, very tasty, but it has always been the white that last all winter rather than any other colour.

Thank you for that

[snowdrops]

My chard is still producing well, I cleared up all the old leaves about 8 weeks ago to regenerate it. I will probably remove it by the summer as by then I'll be looking to plant my fresh plants. I have had winters where a few have died or it looks as if it has but then some have recovered

[pigguns]

Same here- it looks like you've lost it around december but then looks fab again by feb.  It's bolting now just in time for the next batch to get going.

[plum crumble]

I have actually included a few in my garden borders - fabulous broad leaves of colour contrasting with "frothier"  specimens - brilliant!

[Nikkithefoot]

You cn also grow it in a greenhouse or polytunnel. I put some in my polytunnel in October and have been harvesting it since January. Only just fed the last of it to the chickens and rabbits as was going to seed. Very prolific! Leaves are like spinach, and the stems can be steamed and tossed in butter with lots pf pepper.

[gypsy]

Thanks for that Nikki, I will try to remember to grow some in October.

[snowdrops]

I used it for sag aloo the other week but I couldn't bear to through the stems away so I cooked them with the potatoes.

[Sparkyrog]

Thanks for that Nikki, I will try to remember to grow some in October.

you can do a crop now too