When do you plant Swiss chard?
If you are planting straight into the garden, you will plant it right after the last frost. If you are starting seeds indoors, start them 6-8 weeks before last frost.
I would like to grow Swiss chard but I don't have a yard. Can I grow it in large flower pots?
Yes, you can grow this in containers. Just keep it well watered.
How do I know when the chard is ready, and how do I pick it?
Here is an article that you may find helpful: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/swiss-chard/how-to-grow-swiss-chard.htm
I have something eating leaves of my Swiss chards, peppers, beans, etc. , but I cannot find any pests. The holes are somewhat large. How do I find out what is eating them?
It is likely slugs or snails. This is typical for them and they only come out at night, so it can be hard to spot them. These articles will help you deal with them:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/facts-about-slugs-and-how-to-kill-garden-slugs.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/organic-snail-control-how-to-control-garden-snails.htm
How do you cut and harvest Swiss chard?
It is very simple. Just select the leaves that you would like to harvest (mainly ones that look big enough) and cut them off about 1-2 inches above the base. Leave smaller leaves so that they can continue to grow and provide future harvests.
I live in Michigan and around the second week of May, I tilled up a plot in my heavy clay soil and brought in topsoil from a local excavator. I enriched the soil with lime and planted. Very few seedlings came up. My lettuces and radishes had no issues, but my Swiss Chard, Spinach and Bush Beans only sprouted less than one-third of the plantings. I know I followed package directions about seed depth and seed spacing. I watered at least every other day unless it rained. The garden is in full sun. What is wrong? (all seed was new)
I would not give up on the swiss chard and the spinach. These can sometimes have a long germination time and they may just not have come up yet. As to the beans, the excessively wet spring that the midwest has had may have caused some of the seeds to rot in the ground.
I would water based on amount rather than by day. The garden need 2-3" of water a week. If you get that much in rainfall, you do not need to water manually. Also, it is better to water 1-2 times a week deeply rather than everyday shallowly. This will encourage deeper roots on the plants which make for healthier plants.
I am a beginner. Planted and now something is eating my plants. It has eaten the leaves of my dill, my Swiss chard, and one little tomato plant. The larger tomato plants seem to be OK. What do I do? Are the dill, chard and tomato still good to survive?
What does the damage look like? Is it holes in the leaves or are the plants being "cut" off. This will help us identify what is attacking your plant.
Holes can usually point to slugs, while cutworms and some animal pests typically "cut" the plants off at the stems.