VegetableChard
Ruby Red Swiss Chard
Swiss Chard
Ruby Red Swiss Chard captivates gardeners with its striking burgundy stalks and dark forest-green leaves, creating an edible ornamental that's as beautiful as it is productive. This fast-maturing variety reaches harvest in just 50-59 days and grows 18-24 inches tall, thriving across zones 3-10 with remarkable heat tolerance and slow-bolting tendencies. The dramatic blood-red stems and veins make it a stunning addition to both vegetable gardens and ornamental beds, while its spinach-like flavor with a pleasant, slightly bitter edge keeps you harvesting all season long.
Photo © True Leaf Market(https://www.trueleafmarket.com/products/swiss-chard-ruby-red-seeds)
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-10
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam
Preferred Temp55-75°F
Growth Stats
24 in
Height
PeriodBiennial
TypeBush
Spacing
12-18 inches apart
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
3-10
Size
24in H x ?in W
Growth
Biennial
Care
High
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
The ruby red stalks create a stunning visual contrast against the glossy dark green leaves, making this chard as ornamental as it is edible. Fast maturation combined with exceptional heat tolerance and slow bolting means continuous harvests from spring through fall. Both stems and leaves offer excellent culinary versatility, with a pleasant flavor that's milder and more appealing than typical beet greens. The plant's remarkable cold hardiness survives temperatures down to 15°F, allowing for extended growing seasons and overwintering in southern climates.
Common Uses
Both the crisp ruby stalks and tender leaves excel in fresh salads when harvested young, while mature leaves and stems shine when pan-fried, steamed, or sautéed with other vegetables and greens. The pleasant, slightly bitter flavor similar to spinach makes it an excellent substitute in cooked dishes, with the added visual appeal of those striking red stems that hold their color beautifully when prepared.
Growing Timeline
First Bloom
N/a
First Harvest
Mid-to-late Spring
Last Harvest
Early Fall
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before transplanting, which should occur 2-4 weeks before your average last frost date. Protect young transplants from heavy freezes.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant hardened seedlings 2-4 weeks before your average last frost date when plants reach 3-4 inches tall. Harden off seedlings before transplanting outside.
Direct Sow
Direct sow 2-4 weeks before your average last frost date when soil temperature reaches at least 40°F, ideally between 75-90°F. In mild climates, sow in fall. Can be sown as late as 2 months before first fall frost.
Harvesting
Begin harvesting in 50-59 days from sowing, with some sources suggesting leaves can be picked as early as 32 days for baby greens. Harvest before leaves become too large to maintain the best flavor. Cut the entire plant 1 inch above soil level for continuous regrowth, or selectively harvest outer mature leaves with garden shears to encourage the 'cut and come again' growth pattern that provides yields all summer into fall.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Soil pH Range
6 – 7.5
Scientific Classification
Beta vulgaris L. ssp. cicla (L.) W.D.J. Koch
Family
Chenopodiaceae
Genus
Beta
History & Origin
“Swiss chard traces its cultivation back to 350 BC, with this ruby-stemmed variety developing from the same beet family roots that gave us both table beets and sugar beets. As a member of the amaranth family, chard has been prized for millennia as a reliable leafy green that could withstand both heat and cold better than many alternatives.”