What to Plant With Swiss Chard: Chard Companion Plants and Growing Tips

Swiss chard is a beet bred for its leaves instead of its root, with thick stalks in white, yellow, pink, orange or red. It is one of the most forgiving greens you can grow: University of Minnesota Extension notes that, unlike spinach, it does not bolt in summer heat, and it yields from spring through fall. Its companion list is short, so this guide sticks to what extension sources actually say, then covers placement, timing, spacing and the cut-and-come-again harvest.

Good companion plants for chard

Cabbage, broccoli and kale

Virginia Extension's cabbage-family row lists chard alongside aromatic herbs, celery, beets, onions, chamomile and spinach. Chard and the cabbage family are both cool-season crops planted in early spring, and both want steady moisture and fertile soil, so they are easy to grow side by side. Give them room: chard plants get about two feet tall. See what to plant with cabbage, broccoli and kale.

Partial shade under taller crops

University of Maryland Extension says chard grows best with six to eight hours of direct sun but tolerates partial shade of four to six hours. That makes it one of the few greens that copes with a spot on the shady side of taller summer crops, though it will grow more slowly there.

After spring peas

University of Maryland Extension gives sowing Swiss chard after spring peas are finished as an example of succession planting: the peas come out in early summer and the chard takes over the space through fall. See what to plant with peas. More sequences like this are in our succession planting guide.

In flower beds and containers

The colored stalks make chard an ornamental too. UW–Madison Extension suggests placing its bold leaves near fine-leaved plants for contrast, and University of Florida Extension notes it works with flowers in beds and containers.

What not to plant with chard

None of our extension sources lists a plant as incompatible with chard. A few practical cautions still apply:

• Pole beans (a judgment call): Virginia Extension lists beets as incompatible with pole beans. Chard is the same species as beets (UMN Extension), but the source does not mention chard, so we do not treat it as a listed conflict. If you want to be cautious, keep pole beans in another bed. See what to plant with beets.
• Same-family crops in the same spot year after year: Utah State Extension says rotating chard to a new location each year helps control most diseases. Treat chard, beets and spinach as one group, since UMN places chard and spinach in the same family and chard and beets in the same species.
• Lamb's-quarters: UW–Madison Extension notes this common weed is a wild host of the leafminer that tunnels in chard leaves, so pulling it nearby helps.

When to plant chard

• Spring: Utah State Extension says chard can be sown once the soil reaches about 40°F, about three to four weeks before your last frost; transplants go out near the last frost date. UW–Madison gives about a month before the average last frost through midsummer for seeding.
• Indoors: University of Maryland Extension suggests starting seed five to six weeks before transplanting, disturbing the roots as little as possible.
• Fall: Utah State suggests early-maturing varieties planted 50 to 75 days before they need to mature, with maturity about two to three weeks before the first fall frost. Plants can stay in the garden through light frosts.

Our planting calendar shows your frost date.

Planting and spacing

• Depth: about ½ inch (Utah State); Illinois gives ½ to ¾ inch.
• Seed clusters: like beet seed, each chard "seed" is a cluster that can sprout several seedlings (University of Maryland), so thinning is normal.
• Spacing: recommendations range from about 6 inches between plants in rows 12 inches apart (Utah State) to 8 to 12 inches for larger plants (Maryland). Illinois suggests thinning to 2 to 3 inches first and eating the thinnings as baby greens.
• Soil: fertile, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. UMN notes chard tolerates soil a little more acidic than spinach does, down to about pH 6. Follow a soil test for fertilizer.

Water and summer heat

Chard needs steady moisture. Utah State Extension recommends about 1 to 2 inches of water a week and warns that uneven moisture makes leaves tough and off-flavored; mulch helps hold moisture and keep weeds down, and chard does not compete well with weeds. Growth slows in summer heat, but UMN Extension notes the plants keep producing leaves as long as the soil does not dry out, and pick up again when cool weather returns in September.

Common problems

UW–Madison Extension says chard has few insect or disease problems. Aphids and spinach leafminer show up occasionally: aphids can be hosed off or left to natural enemies such as lady beetles and lacewing larvae, and leaves with leafminer tunnels can simply be removed. University of Maryland and University of Florida Extension also mention leaf spot and root-knot nematodes; where nematodes are a known problem, Florida suggests growing chard in a container.

Harvest: cut and come again

Illinois Extension advises cutting the outer leaves about 1½ inches above the ground when they are young and tender (about 8 to 12 inches long), taking care not to damage the growing point in the center. A few plants supply an average family through the season. Young leaves under about 4 inches can go into salads raw; larger leaves and the stalks are usually cooked, and the stalks can be used like celery (University of Maryland). Chard is very perishable, so pick it close to when you plan to eat it.

A simple cool-season bed with chard

1. Broccoli or cabbage down the middle.

   Transplants spaced for their full size.

2. Chard along one side.

   The listed companion, about 8 to 12 inches apart.

3. Onions or beets along the other side.

   Both are listed cabbage-family companions too.

4. A second chard sowing after the peas.

   For a fall harvest in the space the spring peas leave.

Our raised bed layouts show how to plan beds by the square foot.

Frequently asked questions

What grows well with Swiss chard?

Virginia Extension lists chard as a companion for cabbage-family crops such as cabbage, broccoli and kale. It also tolerates partial shade and can follow spring peas as a succession crop.

What should you not plant with chard?

None of our extension sources lists anything as incompatible with chard. Because chard is the same species as beets, some gardeners also keep it away from pole beans, which are listed as incompatible with beets, and rotate chard with beets and spinach.

When should I plant Swiss chard?

Utah State Extension says chard can be sown about three to four weeks before the last spring frost, once the soil is about 40°F, with transplants going out near the frost date. A second sowing in summer gives a fall crop.

Does Swiss chard bolt in summer?

Rarely. University of Minnesota Extension explains that chard is a biennial that does not flower until it has lived through a winter, so unlike spinach it keeps producing leaves through summer.

How do you harvest chard so it keeps growing?

Cut the outer leaves about 1½ inches above the ground while they are young and tender, and leave the center growing point alone. New leaves keep coming until frost.