Swiss Chard
Swiss Chard is a big plant for a patio, but it's very easy to grow and looks amazing with its waxy jungly looking leaves.
Just twist off the outer leaves as you need them. The plant will carry on growing, producing more leaves. It'll grow right into the winter in the south.
Time from seed to plate: 12 weeks
Sowing Calendar
Sow
Sow seeds anytime from April to July. Because they'll turn into big plants it's best to use a grow bed (although they will only take up half of it - see diagram on right). Fill it with general purpose compost and level it out with your hands. Then make a shallow groove with a finger about 1cm deep where you're going to sow the seeds, using a piece of wood as a guide if you want nice straight rows.
Sprinkle the seed into the groove, about one every 2cm and cover with a thin layer of compost. Water well and label.
Grow
Pull out the weaker seedlings to leave 20cm between each plant. It seems brutal but the plants need plenty of space to grow.
Harvest
As soon as your chard is 5-6in inches tall you can chop a few baby leaves off for salads. Make sure you leave 2in of plant behind, and it will quickly resprout with new leaves.
Once the plants are established -12-18in tall - pick by twisting/cutting leaves off from around the stem. The heart will keep growing for months to come, even through the Winter in milder areas.