GARDENING AUSTRALIA MAY 2019 73
SILVERBEET
Silverbeet, also known as chard or Swiss
chard, is such a handy vegetable – you can
use it in just about anything, from pies to
soups. It’s a very decorative plant to grow
in a container on a sunny balcony or patio,
and cultivars such as Fordhook Giant are
extremely productive, producing masses of
large green leaves on thick white stalks for
months on end. Then there are the many
cultivars with dazzling red, yellow, orange,
pink or white stems, often sold in mixes
labelled ‘rainbow chard’. Underplanting with
seasonal annuals such as pansy or alyssum
takes the colour show to a whole new level!
Another notable quality is their resilience.
They thrive in a wide range of temperatures,
from cool to very warm, giving them a long
productive life. They’ll boom now in most
areas, bar the coldest, but it’s still worth a
try in a glasshouse or toasty sunroom over
winter, moving them outside in spring.
One or two plants will grow comfortably
in a 30cm pot, but 3–4 in a 40cm container
or 5–7 in a 50cm pot would be ideal. They
are quite shallow-rooted, so anything more
than 25cm deep is fine. Fill with a quality
potting mix and a balanced slow-release
fertiliser or, for an organic approach, blend
the mix with compost 1:1, and add blood
and bone and pelletised chicken manure.
Silverbeet seeds germinate readily, but
if you are just growing a handful of plants,
save yourself the effort and buy seedlings.
Keep mix moist and apply a liquid fertiliser
every 1–2 weeks for rapid growth and large
leaves. Expect your first harvest in about
4–6 weeks. Pick outer leaves first, snapping
them off at the base. Once the plants are
established, you could be pulling in enough
leaves for one or two good meals a week.
In extended rainy conditions, move the
container under cover to avoid potential
problems with root rot and foliage disease.
CROPS
POTS
IN
IN THE PATCH