When to harvest Swiss Chard?

[flyboy718]

anytime from baby to the beginning of bolting. They get woody when they bolt.

What is bolt?

 

[Ridgerunner]

A plants purpose in nature is to make seeds. Bolt describes when it goes from growing leaves to making flowers and seeds.

Some things you want to bolt. What you eat with broccoli or cauliflower is the flower head before it breaks into bloom. But when Chard or many greens bolt, they can become woody or even bitter. Lettuce is a good example of becoming bitter when it bolts.

I cut the flower heads off my chard and kale so it keeps producing leaves and feed those to the chickens. I'll admit they may not be as nice and tender as the leaves were before they tried to bolt but I think they are still pretty good.

 

[flyboy718]

A plants purpose in nature is to make seeds. Bolt describes when it goes from growing leaves to making flowers and seeds.

Some things you want to bolt. What you eat with broccoli or cauliflower is the flower head before it breaks into bloom. But when Chard or many greens bolt, they can become woody or even bitter. Lettuce is a good example of becoming bitter when it bolts.

I cut the flower heads off my chard and kale so it keeps producing leaves and feed those to the chickens. I'll admit they may not be as nice and tender as the leaves were before they tried to bolt but I think they are still pretty good.

Thanks!