Organic In The Garden – 5 Tips And Many Benefits Of Growing Silverbeet In The Home Garden

Silverbeet or Swiss Chard as it is often known, is an excellent vegetable to grow in the Organic Home Garden. It is a hardy crop that can grow in almost all climates – perhaps with the exception of extreme snow and ice or heat.

A very nutritious vegetable, Organic Silverbeet is high in many nutrients including Iron and Chlorophyll. In the kitchen it has many uses ranging from a boiled or steamed green vegetable to a rich flavouring in Soups, Stews, Casseroles and my favourite in a rich Bolognaise sauce. The young leaves of Silverbeet can be used in salads though I find it rather bitter when raw.

Most will wait until the leaves have developed into full size, which can reach up to a metre in length. It should be remembered that the older the leaves get the more ribbed they become. These ribs can trap insects and can be time consuming to clean. Younger leaves are less ribbed, easier to clean and contain almost as much nutrient as the older deeper green leaves. The leaves can be picked from the growing plant as required. When the plant begins to develop a see stalk it can be cut off at ground level where new leaves will develop. I prefer, however, to remove the old silverbeet completely and plant new seedlings every 6 months or so.

Silverbeet is often confused with Spinach which, is from the same family (Amaranthaceae) but the 2 plants have individual genus groups. Silverbeet is of the genus “Beta” and Spinach is from the genus “Spinacia”.

Organically grown Silverbeet is propagated from seed and is easy to grow. I have seen it grown in pots and doing well, however, I have always preferred planting it directly in the ground. The steps to growing in pots are the same as in the ground, except for the need for additional water during warmer months.

Seeds can be planted undercover or directly in the ground. Planting a dozen seeds in the ground and another dozen undercover 2 or 3 weeks later will keep you in regular supply of silverbeet. When the first plants are ready to begin harvesting, plant out the seedlings you grew undercover.

Silverbeet requires only basic knowledge to grow and the steps to growing it are easy.

  1. The soil should be prepared with compost and animal manure dug in well. A fluffy soil with minimal lumps is best for growing seeds directly in the ground.
  2. Seeds should be planted around 2cm deep and around 30cm apart. A grouping of 6 or so seeds can be planted at the end of each row to replace any plants that fail to propagate. There are always seeds that fail to germinate for one reason or another – this is normal.
  3. Water seeds in well. Repeat watering every second day during warmer weather.
  4. As seedlings emerge they can be mulched with Lucerne chaff. Older plants can be mulched with bricks of old Grass or Lucerne hay.
  5. If fertilizer is required, a liquid mix of sheep or rabbit manure is ideal. Liquid fertilisers should be poured around the base of leaf vegetables rather than over the whole plant.

Enjoy your harvest.

July 4, 2010  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: Growing Organic Vegetables

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