Fireworks Swiss Chard - Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla

The Organic 'Fireworks' Rainbow Chard is a chard with rainbow-coloured stems, in shades of red, yellow, orange, pink or white and with broad emerald green leaves. This tasty leaf vegetable is also a very decorative plant in the vegetable garden. Its stems remain well-coloured after cooking. Sown successively from spring to late summer, this variety provides long and regular harvests, from early summer until the first frosts.

Chard gets its name from a popular soup, "porée", consumed in the Middle Ages, of which it was the main ingredient. It is also known by many other names: Swiss chard, silverbeet, seakale beet, chard ribs.
This biennial plant, grown as an annual for its foliage, belongs to the Amaranth family. The reference species, Beta vulgaris, includes the various cultivated beetroots and chards. It produces a rosette of leaves in the first year and a tall flowering stem in the second if allowed to bolt to seed. The flowers, very small, greenish, gathered in dense spikes, are hermaphrodite and mainly wind-pollinated; they produce hard glomerules containing several small, shiny brown seeds.

'Fireworks' belongs to the group of chards (Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla), selected for their broad, fleshy petioles. It is a mixture of multicoloured-stemmed lines, also marketed under the names 'Five Colours', 'Five Colors' or Rainbow Chard 'Fireworks'. It is a variety awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Each plant forms a compact clump, about 40 cm high and 25 to 30 cm wide, with a heart of upright stems and spreading leaves forming a crown. The leaves are large, oblong to ovate in shape, with a dark green, slightly blistered lamina, traversed by a thickened midrib that takes on the colour of the stem. The petioles, very fleshy, come in ruby red, purple, bright pink, lemon yellow, orange or creamy white. Under good conditions, the first leaves can be cut 6 to 8 weeks after sowing, then the plant regenerates after each harvest.

Historically, chard and other forms of Beta vulgaris (including beetroot) have been cultivated since antiquity around the Mediterranean; they are mentioned in Charlemagne's Capitulare de Villis and still hold a place of honour in regional specialities such as the Niçoise chard pie.

Chard leaves can be cooked in pies, in soups or prepared like spinach. The ribs are delicious in gratins with a white sauce or gravy. Low in calories and rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals, Chard should be consumed in moderation by people suffering from arthritis and rheumatism, as it contains oxalates.

In the garden, 'Fireworks' chard is easy to grow in deep, loose, organic-rich soil that remains moist, but it also tolerates heavy and slightly calcareous soils quite well. It prefers sun, while tolerating light partial shade, especially in warm regions where a little afternoon shade limits bolting.

Harvest: the leaves and ribs are harvested as needed by selecting the largest ones.

Storage: it keeps for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator after harvest, in the vegetable drawer, in a perforated bag or box. To freeze: you can separate the leaves and stems, wash, chop, blanch for 2–3 minutes in boiling water, cool quickly in ice water, drain and then freeze in bags. The colour of the stems remains very good after freezing.

Chard gets along very well with lettuces, onions, leeks, cabbages, celery, dwarf beans, peas, carrots, beetroot, turnips and even as a border on a bed with tomatoes and peppers. Simply avoid placing it too close to potatoes and large trailing squashes, and avoid growing it excessively in the same spot with beetroot for several years in a row.

The Gardener's Tip: Carry out regular hoeing and weeding and mulching is recommended in case of drought.