General information and discussion about cultivating all other edible garden plants.
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December 15, 2014 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ontario
Posts: 3,890
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Dwarf chard?
This fall, I bought two pots of multi-coloured chard from Home Depot to grow over the winter. One looked normal size and the other was more dense and had smaller leaves which I assumed would grow bigger. However, the chard with the smaller leaves never did catch up to it's friend. I remember reading both tags when I brought them home and wondering if one was some kind of dwarf, but although the tags were different, both indicated that they wouldn't be huge plants and I tossed the tags when I potted the plants into large containers.
I harvested some leaves to cook for supper the other night, feeling a bit duped that the smaller one didn't fill out as expected. The leaves are small, but very substantial. The interesting thing is that when I accidentally broke a leaf off yesterday and ate it, the taste was out of this world. Lovely and sweet and tasty! I need seeds of this to put in salads! Thinking that I would find out all about Dwarf Chard on the net, I Googled it - and found nothing. Apparently, it doesn't exist - or does it? Linda |
December 15, 2014 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 47
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I've grown chard for quite a few years and never heard of dwarf. But who knows? If you overwinter it it should bloom... Maybe you can 'invent' it.
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December 16, 2014 | #3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ontario
Posts: 3,890
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I think I will have to keep it going and create my own strain from this pretty red-veined one.
I tried researching some more last night and there is a dwarf, but it's green and white It's called Silverado and is 14-16" tall. I also discovered something called "perpetual spinach" which sounds interesting and is really a beet.... Linda |
December 16, 2014 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ontario
Posts: 3,890
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This picture makes the plant look enormous, but the green part of the leaf that I am holding (thumb at the very bottom) measures just 3" long by 3.5" wide and you can see that there is hardly any red stem!
Linda |
December 16, 2014 | #5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Vancouver Island
Posts: 5,928
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Hi Linda,
cute little plant but I am wondering if it might be small for reasons other than genetic dwarfism. crowding, acidic pH as well as transplanting can result in stunted growth of chard plants. Chard is also a very heavy feeder and likes a lot of nitrogen. Just a thought? Karen |
December 16, 2014 | #6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 1,448
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That would be my bet. One way to find out though.
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Blog: chriskafer.wordpress.com Ignorance more frequently begets knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science. --Charles Darwin |
December 16, 2014 | #7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ontario
Posts: 3,890
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Thanks Karen, I wonder if someone used some growth inhibitor on these plants! Time will tell and they will have three months to see if they put on a growth spurt. They are in a medium containing some slow-release fert and I've recently given them some Tomato Tone. The leaves are very thick!
Linda |
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