Swiss Chard
Silverado Swiss Chard is a refined white chard cultivar that delivers tender, harvestable leaves in just 60 days. This open-pollinated variety grows in a compact bush habit, making it practical for containers or garden beds where space matters. The catalog notes describe it as a refined white chard, and its germination occurs reliably between 40 and 100°F (with an optimum around 86°F), so you can count on consistent sprouting across most growing seasons. Mature plants tolerate moderate frosts, and in mild climates, Silverado can even overwinter, extending your harvest window well into colder months.
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Moderate
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Silverado produces individual leaves that can be harvested repeatedly over the season, with new growth emerging after each cutting. The white-stemmed leaves are refined in appearance and have some built-in heat tolerance, though it genuinely prefers the cool and mild conditions that bring out the best flavor and texture. Seedlings can handle light frosts, and the mature plant's frost hardiness means you can keep harvesting long after summer warmth fades.
Silverado is grown for its edible leaves, which are typically harvested individually as mature foliage and used fresh in salads, lightly sautéed as a side dish, or added to soups and grain bowls. The tender white stems and leaves both eat well, offering the characteristic mild, slightly earthy flavor of chard that works equally well raw or cooked.
Sow seeds indoors about 5 to 6 weeks before your last heavy frost date. Plant seeds 1/2 inch deep, sowing 2 to 3 seeds per cell in 72-cell or 128-cell flats. Thin seedlings to 1 to 2 plants per cell once they emerge. Seedlings will tolerate light frosts, so they can be hardened off earlier than many vegetables.
Transplant out after heavy frosts become infrequent, spacing seedlings 4 to 6 inches apart in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. You can also direct sow in the garden once soil temperatures are reliably above 40°F.
Direct sow seeds 1/2 inch deep directly into the garden when soil temperatures are between 40 and 100°F. Thin seedlings to appropriate spacing once they emerge.
Silverado is ready to harvest in about 60 days from sowing. For continued leaf production, cut or snap individual mature leaves rather than harvesting the entire plant. When leaves reach your desired size (typically 3 to 6 inches for baby leaf, or larger for mature leaf), use a knife to cut about an inch above the soil, being careful to cut above the basal plate so new leaves can regenerate. New harvests will be ready within 5 to 14 days depending on growing conditions.
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