Chard seeds sprout quickly and seedlings are usually ready to plant into the tower within 7 to 10 days.
After running many different comparative tests, we advise to grow only 1 to 2 varieties maximum per tower: some types of chard grow bigger leaves which might overwhelm smaller varieties…
Also, although seeds from different varieties look alike, do not mix them within the same cube of rockwool since different varieties grow at a different speed. This is why it is better to embrace a monoculture strategy (or separate different varieties with at least 2 planting pots in-between).
Chard can be harvested fully by pulling the plant out of the tower, or it can be harvested partially by cutting leaves at the base of the petiole/stalk in which case new leaves will grow back. Chard is a high-yield crop and although it will keep on growing if you only cut the leaves partially, we advise/prefer to harvest the plant by pulling it out of the tower when it is still young. In fact, when harvesting the plant partially, as it grows new leaves, the plant base gets thicker making it impossible after a short while to pull it out of the tower (thus preventing from being able to do root management as the plant gets older). We even had a chard plant which got so thick at the base that it cracked/broke the tower section in which it was planted.
Once again, the seedling process as well as the growing timeline is short which makes it easy to ensure a harvest rotation. Chard delivers earthy flavors and from a culinary perspective, whether juiced raw or stir-fried in a wok, it is also better to harvest chard as a young plant!
