Chard seedlings

I've planted a row or two of chard seeds in one of my raised beds and they are a couple of inches high and look good. When I thinned out the rows I had some extras that I just put in a couple to a small pot rather than chuck them away and they seem fine though a bit smaller.
Not done this before so can anyone tell me how long I can leave them in the pots before planting out without doing them any harm?

Cheers
GG

 

Ello GG

Not seen you for a while.

They do like to put a root down so not too long, keep em damp as they'll bolt if they dry out

 

Hello Zigs, no I haven't been able to log on for ages, lots of error messages and hanging followed significant rise in blood pressure, so gave it a wide berth for a bit . Have tried occasionally and today it just worked! Gawd though navigation's slow though innit. Still, see that the geeky bods are onto it so hope that gets sorted ...

So the chard will be okay for a few weeks at a push? That will give me time to sort out somewhere to put them or give them to friends. Ripped out old knackered raised bed and put two new extended ones in so got lots more room for edibles which is nice.

How are you doing Zigs? Think you were a bit in limbo one way and another the last I heard of you. Hope things are getting settled for you.

GG

 

Please tell me your secret, my chard were thoroughly munched the minute they poked their heads up. I now have a row of tiny red stems
Yesterday I planted some more in trays in the greenhouse but don't know how long they will last once they go out (if they make it that far!).

 

Hello Lindsay, believe me I have no secret, if only
My chard are in a raised bed with other more delicious looking plants so I always put a scattering of organic slug pellets around when they are young and tasty to critters. Perhaps that is it? However, I also have chard in pots just beside my raised bed, no pellets on them, but I did put some netting loosely over them (I have blackbirds that love digging in loose soil).
Not a specific answer I'm afraid to your problem, but a couple of possibilities. Perhaps other may have had the same problems as you and may chip in also.
Good luck with your second set!
GG

 

I'm good ta GG. just selling the house

Linsay, I put wood ash around my seedlings & kept a few replacement seedlings in reserve for the ones the slugs got. The ash, when the plants take it up, makes the plants less tasty to the slugs and if it stays dry, they don't like crossing it as it sticks to them.

 

Update. I'm a total chard fan now. Been eating mine for the last couple of weeks. Seems so easy to grow and extremely tasty and versatile for cooking and it is really good for you, to boot. Ah, the joys of a little veggy success!

GG

 

Mines only just getting big enough, will be eating soon. Garden is exposed to the north winds, think that checked it a bit.

 

Mine never even germinated.

Rusty

 

My swiss chard has done sterling service for months and still look healthy though not as productive but getting a small harvest here and there which is nice.
I'm planning my plot for next year and wondering if I should keep this row going through next year or to dig it up and do a fresh row from seed (if so when). Not sure of the pros and cons.

Ta
GG

 

In the second year they will go to seed and then die. You can delay this a bit by keep picking off the seed heads (chickens still like them - we grow loads of chard/leaf beet for them), so keep sowing fresh crops every year.

P.S. There's supposed to be some sort of method involving re-planting the roots (AKA 'thongs') to keep them going for longer, but I can't seem to find the 'right sort of website' for details of this when I Google using that term.

 

I would sow fresh seed. They go on for "a while" but not indefinitely. I think the older ones will run to seed much more readily than young ones. Personally if the old ones are still going strong I would leave them, and plant new ones in a different area, and eat up the old ones during the "Hungry Gap" in Spring - which will be before the new ones will come on stream.

I would think you want to sow around about April time - but see what back of seed packet says?