Chard Rainbow Chard | Leaf Beet

A riotous mix of red, pink, white, yellow, purple and orange stems on the same robust, leafy plant make this the most colourful of all the leaf beets. Pick the generous crop of leaves young and eat raw as multicoloured baby salad leaves, or cook leaves and midribs separately as a dual-purpose side vegetable. The midribs make a tasty (and colourful) substitute for celery in cooking. Growing Instructions: In spring, make a shallow drill 2cm deep and sow the large, easy-to-handle seeds about 20cm apart. Cover again lightly with soil and water in. Seeds can produce multiple seedlings, so thin to leave one plant to mature at each spot. Leaf beet can also be grown in containers: sow direct into the compost allowing about four seeds to a 45cm pot. Sow: March to June Harvest: June to September Approximate quantity: 125 seeds.