60 days. The Swiss Chard Fordhook Giant is a variety that can grow to be two feet tall. The crops can grow in zones 6 and up, and the leaves can be harvested after sixty days. The Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard leaves have a bitter taste, similar to spinach. Broad, dark-green, heavily crumpled leaves with white veins. Leaves are 24 to 28 inches with 2 1/2 inch thick white stalks. Abundant crops all season and even after the first light frosts. Approx. 930 seeds/oz.
Growing Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard Garden Seeds
- Latin Name: beta vulgaris subsp. circla
- Other Names:
- Days to Maturity: 60 days
- Hardiness Zone: 6+
- Planting Depth: ¼"
- Plant Spacing: 18"
- Row Spacing: 18-24"
- Growth Habit: Upright
- Soil Preference: Rich soil with a pH level of 6 to 6.4
- Temp Preference: Warmer
- Light Preference: Full or Partial Sun
- Diseases/pests: Susceptible to Slugs and aphids
- Color: Dark green leaves with white stems.
- Flavor: similar to spinach and beet
The Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard seeds can be planted two to three weeks before the last average frost of the season, half an inch deep in a soil with an ideal pH level between 6 and 6.4. Leave twenty four to thirty six inches between plants, and eighteen inches between rows to allow enough room for growth. The Fordhook Giant will do best with full or partial sun, and will need to be watered evenly. When the plants are more than six inches tall, the leaves can be harvested by cutting them an inch and a half above the ground. If harvested carefully, the plants can produce more leaves that can be harvested again.