Sow Fordhook Giant Swiss chard ½ inch deep, keep the seedbed moist, and thin seedlings to 12–18 inches apart for full-size plants. Harvest the outer leaves while protecting the center so the plant can keep producing.
This white-stemmed chard works in garden rows, raised beds, and large containers. Here is how to choose a planting date, get seedlings established, and pick leaves for the kitchen.
White-stemmed Swiss chard shown in the cover photograph. Photo credits.
Fordhook Giant at a glance
- Sowing depth
- ½ inch
- Germination
- Usually 7–14 days
- Plant spacing
- 12–18 inches for full-size plants
- Row spacing
- 18–24 inches
- Light
- Full sun; tolerates partial shade
- Estimated first harvest
- 25–30 days for baby leaves; 50–60 days for larger leaves
Based on our Fordhook Giant product guidance. Weather and growing conditions affect germination and harvest timing.
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Plant this variety: Our Fordhook Giant packet contains 5 grams of seed, approximately 310 seeds.
Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard Seeds
When to plant Swiss chard
Spring planting
Direct sow about three to four weeks before your average last spring frost when the soil is workable. Chard can germinate in soil around 40°F, but 55–75°F is a better range. Wait if the bed is waterlogged or a prolonged cold spell is forecast.
Chard tolerates some cold, but extended cold exposure while plants are young can encourage premature flowering. Avoid rushing indoor-grown seedlings into a cold spring.
Fall planting
For substantial leaves before fall frost, allow about 10–12 weeks from sowing. This is a practical planning allowance beyond the variety’s 50–60-day estimate because growth slows as days shorten.
Example: With an October 15 first frost, a 10–12-week sowing window falls around July 23 through August 6. Adjust for local summer heat and your regional planting calendar.
How to sow and thin the seedlings
- Prepare a fine seedbed. Choose well-drained soil, remove weeds, and break up large clods. Sow ½ inch deep, cover, and gently firm the surface.
- Keep the seed zone moist. Water gently so seeds stay in place. Check newly sown rows frequently, especially in warm or windy weather.
- Watch for clusters. A chard “seed” is often a seedball with several embryos, so multiple seedlings may emerge together.
- Thin for the harvest you want. For large Fordhook Giant plants, finish with 12–18 inches between plants and 18–24 inches between rows. Snip extras at soil level if pulling would disturb neighboring roots.
In a raised bed, measure from the center of one plant to the next. Closely spaced seedlings can provide baby leaves, but thin the remaining plants as they enlarge. Crowding a mature row reduces the room available for broad leaves and stems.
Starting indoors? Sow in individual cells about four to six weeks before transplanting. Gradually acclimate seedlings to outdoor conditions and handle the root ball gently. Our seed-starting guide for beginners explains the basic setup.
Light, water, and soil care
Give plants enough light
Aim for six to eight hours of sun. Chard also tolerates roughly four to six hours, making it useful in a bed with some afternoon shade. Choose a spot based on the sunlight it actually receives.
Check moisture below the surface
About 1–2 inches of water per week is a general starting point, including rainfall. Adjust for your soil and weather. Feel below the surface before watering again: a damp bed needs a different response from a dry one. Mulch around established plants to conserve moisture and reduce weeds.
Feed according to your soil
Use a soil test to identify nutrient needs. Compost can improve soil, but avoid fresh manure around an edible leaf crop. Add fertilizer according to the test and product directions instead of following an automatic weekly feeding schedule.
Growing Fordhook Giant in a container
For a large plant, we recommend one Fordhook Giant in a five-gallon or larger pot with drainage holes. This gives it more root space and a larger moisture reserve than the two-gallon general minimum in Maryland Extension’s container guide.
Fill the pot with container potting mix. Dense garden soil and a gravel layer at the bottom are poor substitutes for a freely draining mix and open drainage holes.
Water thoroughly until excess drains, then check the mix below the surface before watering again. Check daily during hot weather, but water only as needed. Follow the fertilizer directions for your mix and container crop.
Harvest outer leaves and keep the center growing
Choose leaves by size and condition. Pick small, tender leaves for baby greens. For larger cooking leaves, start with outer leaves about 8–12 inches long. You can pick a few without waiting for every leaf to reach the same size.
- Choose a few healthy outer leaves and support each stem while cutting.
- Cut about 1½ inches above the soil, away from the central growing point.
- Leave the smaller central leaves to develop, then return when more outer leaves are ready.
The broad stems are edible. Chop them separately and start cooking them before the leaves because they take longer to soften.
For best quality, refrigerate unwashed leaves in a bag and use within two or three days. Wash before preparing.
Fordhook Giant versus rainbow chard
Fordhook Giant has broad green leaves with white ribs and stems. Rainbow chard mixes include several stem colors. The garden photograph below shows white, yellow, and red chard together; the individual cultivars are not documented.
What is happening to my chard?
Look at several leaves before choosing a treatment. Holes chewed through a leaf, tunnels inside it, and spots on its surface point to different problems.
- No seedlings yet
- Check sowing depth, seed-zone moisture, and soil temperature. The 7–14-day estimate assumes favorable conditions. Cold soil can delay emergence; hot soil can reduce germination.
- Pale blotches or trails inside leaves
- Look for leafminer larvae between the leaf surfaces. Remove affected older leaves. Insect netting or row cover can help exclude adults when installed before infestation.
- Many tiny holes
- Check for flea beetles. Identify the insect before choosing a treatment instead of assuming every hole has the same cause.
- Round tan or gray spots with dark edges
- Cercospora leaf spot is a possibility, especially on older leaves in warm, humid weather. Remove badly affected leaves, reduce leaf wetness, and clean up crop debris.
- A tall flower stalk
- The plant is bolting. Consider its age and earlier cold exposure. Plan a replacement planting rather than expecting repeated removal of the stalk to restore normal leaf growth.
If the symptoms do not fit, share clear photographs with your local extension office. The sources below include identification and management references.
Swiss chard growing questions
Will Swiss chard grow back after cutting?
Healthy chard can keep producing when its growing point remains intact. Take selected outer leaves and protect the smaller leaves in the center.
Do I need to sow a new row every few weeks?
Not necessarily for a household harvest of mature outer leaves. Start with the plants you have space for and see what they supply. Sow again if you need more baby greens or want younger plants ready as the first planting declines.
Does summer heat make chard bolt?
Chard handles summer conditions better than spinach, although extreme heat can slow growth. Heat alone does not trigger bolting in the same way it does in spinach. Earlier cold exposure and the plant’s age also matter.
Build a leafy-greens garden
Ready to plant chard? Choose Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard seeds. For other leafy crops, our five-variety assortment includes Buttercrunch lettuce, Parris Island romaine, Roquette arugula, Vates Blue Scotch Curled kale, and Bloomsdale spinach. Chard is sold separately.
5 Lettuce and Leafy Greens Seed Variety Pack
Sources and photo credits
This guide was prepared with AI assistance using Gardeners Basics variety information and the horticultural references below. It does not describe a Gardeners Basics growing trial. Research and license links open in a new tab.
Growing references
- Utah State University: Swiss chard in the garden. Spring timing, soil temperature, and watering.
- University of Minnesota: growing spinach and Swiss chard. Light, fertility, and bolting.
- University of Maryland: growing Swiss chard and container vegetables. Seedballs, transplants, and container size.
- University of Illinois: chard. Cutting height, leaf size, storage, and preparation.
- Minnesota chard symptom guide, UC IPM vegetable leafminers, and Maryland Cercospora guidance. Identification and management.
Photo credits
- Cover photograph, Pinterest graphic, and planting reference: white-stemmed chard photographed by Daderot, Wikimedia Commons, CC0. Cropped for the cover and graphics. The cultivar is not documented.
- Stem-color comparison: David Fisher via NC State Extension Plant Toolbox, CC BY 2.0. Full frame retained; JPEG recompressed.
- Cercospora photograph: Björn S... via NC State Extension Plant Toolbox, CC BY-SA 2.0. Full frame retained; JPEG recompressed. This photograph remains under the linked license.
