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Post by desertwoman on Mar 20, 2015 23:15:26 GMT -5
Have any of you- in zones 6 or lower- had success with chard wintering over?
I left one plant in the garden last fall. All the leaves died back as winter progressed. I assumed it was dead and I would be pulling out the plant this spring.
That plant is now thriving and I can now pick chard. In March!! I'll try to remember to take a pic tomorrow.
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canadiyank
Blooming
Central WA, Zone 6B
Posts: 125
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Post by canadiyank on Mar 20, 2015 23:23:49 GMT -5
Ok, so. Not only did my chard overwinter...it did so being yanked out of the ground and thrown on the compost pile. Ha! I just noticed the other day that it has leaves several inches tall...in the compost!
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Post by Mumsey on Mar 21, 2015 3:58:47 GMT -5
Mine sorta wintered over about 3 yrs ago, but it was a very mild winter here. It never amounted to much, so yanked it out.
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Post by desertwoman on Mar 21, 2015 19:00:10 GMT -5
here she is!
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Post by johng44 on Mar 26, 2015 10:50:25 GMT -5
My chard didn't winter over but surprisingly my flat leaf, curl leaf parsley and radicchio did winter over as did my blood veined sorrel. Been harvesting the latter two. Finished the last of the radicchio this morning. A first for me.
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Post by octave on Mar 26, 2015 15:04:38 GMT -5
Mine is now a perennial plant. I think last time I planted chard was in the Spring of 2010. It comes back bigger and bigger every year, and it self seeds profusely. It's almost a monster, with tall, strong seed stalks in the Summer--ready to colonize the whole garden. I had to uproot some to make room of another plant and the roots were massive, both wide and deep. This is the Fordhook variety. And I don't even like chard.
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Post by OregonRed on Mar 27, 2015 10:06:41 GMT -5
I had some over winter in pots out back here, I assume, that as soon as it get warm, it will go to seed. if I had enough room, I would let it reseed and keep it going like that Octave. I don't have enough room. it goes in my juice everyday, so I need a lot of it.
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Post by octave on Mar 27, 2015 11:41:17 GMT -5
Red, I don't mean to keep it going.... this plant has a will of its' own.
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Post by datgirl on Mar 27, 2015 12:07:42 GMT -5
I had some parsley overwinter here. It was covered with about 6 inches of leaves.
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Post by ahntjudy on Mar 28, 2015 8:58:40 GMT -5
I'm not in zone 6 or lower but my swiss chard has also wintered over. I tend to eventually pull it though...it has that left over winter ickyness about it... Though it does provide me with some edibles in the meantime.
I like to plant it fresh every year as I enjoy using the thinned out leaves in salads and such... I transplant lots of those thinnings as well.
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Post by armjr on Mar 28, 2015 21:13:15 GMT -5
I don't usually have any problem getting things through the winter. I picked two ripe tomatoes today off of a plant that I had last fall. It still has green tomatoes on it now. Swiss chard, carrots, turnips, all greens, spinach, parsley, cilantro, etc. all produced well through winter until now. We have more than we can eat and give away.
Our problem is getting anything to live through the Summer. If I don't water (nearly every day) and shade anything I want to live, it will wilt and die in July and August. Any kind of greens will not make it, Lettuce is impossible, and, well, so is most anything else. I usually have a chance to till the whole thing and get my compost worked in during that time.
Alan
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Post by desertwoman on Mar 28, 2015 22:12:41 GMT -5
I just didn't get around to pulling this plant our last fall , so I thought I'd see what it would do. I was surprised to greened up. But it isn't as tender and tasty as fresh planted. I'm going to dig it out. It's on the tough side.
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Post by tbird on Mar 29, 2015 7:20:34 GMT -5
chard is biennial I think - it will produce seeds this year.
I don't know if it is tasty to eat the second year before bolting....
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