Why Chard Is Useful And How To Grow It

Why Chard Is Useful And How To Grow It
Why Chard Is Useful And How To Grow It

Video: Why Chard Is Useful And How To Grow It

Video: Why Chard Is Useful And How To Grow It
Video: How to Grow Swiss Chard 2024, March
Anonim

The beetroot with the beautiful name "Swiss chard" is gaining more and more recognition from gardeners. This vegetable is famous not only for its great benefits for the body, but also for its excellent nutritional qualities. In addition, the bright palette of petioles and ornate leaves made this plant decorative.

Why chard is useful and how to grow it
Why chard is useful and how to grow it

What is this plant - chard?

Mangold is a foreign relative of our beets, but, unlike it, does not give full-fledged root crops. Only ground parts of the plant - petioles and leaves - are used for food. Under favorable conditions, chard forms powerful beautiful rosettes that ennoble the garden plot. Mangold perfectly coexists with other garden crops and grows until late autumn, pleasing the eye with spectacular spreading leaves.

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Chard leaves appear early, before cabbage has yet arrived, and housewives are happy to use them as a dressing for borscht or green cabbage soup. Salads are prepared from chard leaves, delicious cabbage rolls, vinaigrette are made. Petioles are fried in breadcrumbs, stewed with cabbage and other vegetables, fermented, pickled. Pickled chard stalks are a real delicacy, light and savory snack.

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What are the benefits of beetroot?

It is difficult to overestimate the benefits of chard for the body. This plant is rich in carotene, organic acids, vitamins K, A, E and C, micro and macronutrients, including iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, etc. fiber and a lot of antioxidants.

Chard is useful for diabetes, anemia, nephrolithiasis, hypertension. The use of this vegetable in food improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system and liver, strengthens the immune system. The regenerating effect of chard on the hair follicle has long been noted; the gruel from the root of the plant is used to treat hair loss. Beetroot is also great for strengthening bones, stimulating brain activity and improving blood circulation.

How to grow Swiss chard?

It is better to plant leafy beets with seedlings, so you can get the first greens faster. The plant is quite unpretentious and cold-resistant, but when planting in open ground in early May, it is better to pre-cover early seedlings from spring frosts. If sown in the ground, then this can be done at the end of April. Chard grows well on light loamy soil fertilized with organic matter.

Plants grow large, this must be taken into account when planting. The distance between the rows in the ground should be at least 35 cm. It is enough to grow 5-6 pieces of beetroot for the needs of a family of 4 people.

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Caring for chard is simple, thinning in the phase of 2-3 leaves is required, loosening and weeding as needed. During the growing season, leaf beets need abundant watering, with a lack of moisture they can shoot. The plant should be fed 3-4 times per season with nitrogen fertilizers (urea at the rate of 1 matchbox per bucket of water or ammonium nitrate).

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