Swiss Chard aka Silverbeet

We are in the midst of a weeding/planting semi-frenzy at Charamon. Since I can only devote time to the garden in the mornings, I get up before dawn and start work as soon as I can see things (and have a cup of strong coffee in me).

We are fortunate to live in a zone (7b) where some vegetables grow through autumn and winter (see previous post). One such plant that does very well here is swiss chard (silverbeet). We grow it instead of spinach and we eat loads of it. It is rumored to help stave-off dementia (I meant to mention this before but I kept forgetting).

So for the last two days, Justin (number 2 son) and I have been weeding a bed and preparing it for planting. This also required harvesting the compost from my concrete block bin. After weeding and smoothing the surface, we laid down a layer of compost and then topped it up with a couple inches of mulch. We made three furrows and laid a mixture of sand and compost in the bottom of the furrow. The seeds were sown on top of this and covered with a thin layer of more of the same. Then it is all watered well and…now we wait.

The compost/sand mixture is 4 compost to 1 sand (I use lava sand). The compost is from two sources — a conventional pile of decomposed leaves and grass clippings combined with compost from the bin mentioned above. This is mixed in my cement mixer and decanted into a wheelbarrow. I use this mixture because my soil is mostly clay and can form a hard surface that some seeds have trouble getting through.

Now we are looking forward to eating a lot of stir fried chard mixed with garlic and pine nuts, swiss chard tortes and other delicious preparations. In the meantime…eat your veggies…Nonnie and Pop said so!

Thanks to A Veggie Garden for the photo.

The Garlic Lesson

  Here in Western North Central Texas, it is garlic-growing-time. I began growing four kinds of garlic suggested by a professional grower in the region. A couple of varieties really did well. Over the years I have narrowed down to a variety called China Rose. It loves my soil and grows well. I will probably try some other varieties in years to come.