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Grow robust, productive Fordhook Giant Swiss chard with large green leaves and crisp white stalks for a versatile kitchen harvest.
Grow it successfully: Read the Fordhook Giant Swiss-chard Grow Guide.
Quick Grow Facts
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Plant Type: Swiss chard, normally grown as an annual leafy vegetable; not true spinach.
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Scientific Name: Beta vulgaris var. cicla ‘Fordhook Giant’.
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General Sowing Time: Best in cool to mild weather; a longer regional window than true spinach where irrigation is reliable.
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Position: Full sun in mild weather; morning sun with afternoon shade in very hot areas.
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Seed Form: Raw multi-embryo seedballs; this is not proof that a particular lot is untreated.
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Pretreatment: None required. Sow dry and thin clustered seedlings.
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Sow Depth / Light: Cover 10 mm; light is not required before emergence.
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Germination: 7–14 days; aim for 13–24°C soil. Emergence declines above about 27°C.
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Spacing: 7 cm for baby leaves and thinnings; 20–30 cm for mature leaves and stalks; rows 30 cm apart.
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Growth Form: Tall upright crown with crinkled leaves and broad white stalks; no support or pinching.
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Height: Approximately 60–70 cm at maturity.
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Days to Harvest: Packet-listed mature harvest in 60–70 days; harvest baby leaves earlier.
Why Grow This Variety
- Large green leaves and crisp white stalks provide two useful textures.
- The high-yielding growth form supports an abundant harvest.
- Its hardy nature makes it a versatile, productive choice for a home garden.
Garden Uses
Sauté or steam the leaves and stalks, or add them to salads, soups and stews.
Growing Notes
- Sow each raw seedball 10 mm deep and expect that one seedball may produce several seedlings.
- Cut extras at soil level. Retain 7 cm spacing for baby leaves or 20–30 cm for mature leaves and stalks, with 30 cm between rows.
- Keep soil evenly moist, pick the oldest outside leaves and leave the central crown intact for regrowth.
- Use the exact packet’s 60–70-day mature window, not the former 60–65-day product-page value.
- Do not eat seed; follow any treatment warning on the purchased packet or lot label.
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