VegetableChard
Orange Swiss Chard
Orange Swiss Chard brings color and productivity to gardens across zones 3 to 10, with luminous orange stems that stay vibrant even after cooking. The dark green leaves pair beautifully with those bright stalks, making it as striking in a flower bed as it is in the vegetable garden. Ready to harvest in 45 days, this early maturing variety grows 18 to 24 inches tall and produces abundantly all summer long when you pick stems individually. Its earthy flavor and heat tolerance make it both a culinary asset and an ornamental addition worth planting where you want visual impact.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-10
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam
Growth Stats
24 in
Height
TypeUpright
Spacing
6
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
3-10
Size
24in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
High
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Highlights
Bright orange stems with dark green leaves create a plant that functions as both food and landscape feature. The orange color persists through cooking, meaning your cooked greens retain that striking hue. Heat tolerance and early maturity let it thrive through hot summers while producing continuously, and its compact 18 to 24 inch height fits easily into containers or tight garden spaces. Individual stem harvesting extends your season from a single planting, giving you a steady supply rather than a one-time crop.
Common Uses
The leaves and stems both deserve a place on your plate. Raw, the tender leaves add earthy flavor and visual pop to salads, while the orange stems bring color alongside greens. Cooked, the stems remain a delicious addition to sautés, stir-fries, and braised vegetable dishes, with the orange color making each bite visually distinctive. The ornamental quality means some gardeners grow it specifically to brighten landscaping borders and edging while knowing they can eat it whenever they choose.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Direct Sow
Sow seeds directly in the garden when soil is workable. Plant seeds at the proper depth and thin seedlings to 6 inches apart once they emerge.
Harvesting
Begin harvesting at 45 days, though some sources report ready-to-pick leaves as early as 20 to 29 days depending on how mature you want them. The key to continuous harvest is removing individual stems from the outside of the plant rather than cutting the whole plant down. Grasp outer stems at the base and pull them away from the center, leaving the growing heart untouched. This way, the plant keeps producing new leaves and stems throughout the summer. You can harvest outer leaves at any point once they're large enough to handle, picking them regularly encourages more production.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
beta vulgaris subsp. circla
Family
Amaranthaceae
Genus
Beta
Growth Habit
Upright
Native Status
L48 (I)PR (I)