Garden Calendar

The silverbeet year, month by month

Silverbeet has a long, patient season. It begins as a tiny seed under grow lights in March and ends, if you are lucky, as overwintered plants resprouting the following spring. Here is the whole rhythm, one month at a time.

1. 01 · Midwinter

   January

   Dormant
   • Plan the season
   • Order seeds

   The garden sleeps under snow, but you can start dreaming. Browse seed catalogues, decide which varieties you want to try, and mark where silverbeet will sit in the bed. Avoiding last year's spot pays off, since the same family of plants depletes the same nutrients.

   Tip of the month

   Silverbeet seeds stay viable for 3 to 4 years if stored cool and dry. Check what you already have before placing new orders.

2. 02 · Late winter

   February

   Dormant
   • Order seeds
   • Prepare equipment

   Seed catalogues are open and popular varieties sell out fast. Wash and sterilise last year's pots and trays, and pull out the grow lights if you have them. February daylight is still too weak for natural light alone.

   Tip of the month

   Pick at least two varieties with different stem colours. You will get a white-stemmed workhorse and colourful Rainbow Chard from one bed.

3. 03 · Early spring

   March

   Sprouting
   • Sow indoors

   Time to sow indoors under lights. Soak seeds in lukewarm water for 12 hours to speed germination. Press 2 to 3 seeds into each plug cell and cover with 1 cm of soil. At 18 to 22 °C they sprout in 7 to 14 days.

   Tip of the month

   A silverbeet seed is actually a cluster containing several embryos. Expect multiple sprouts per cell, and thin to the strongest once they have two true leaves.

4. 04 · Spring

   April

   Growing
   • Sow indoors
   • Pot up
   • Harden off

   March seedlings need bigger pots as roots fill the plugs. Toward the end of the month, hardening off begins: set them outside in shade for a few hours, then increase the time gradually. You can sow another batch now to stagger the harvest.

   Tip of the month

   Hardening off is not optional. Plants moved straight from a warm room into a cold garden stall for two weeks and never fully recover.

5. 05 · Late spring

   May

   Growing
   • Direct sow
   • Transplant
   • Maintain

   Once the soil holds above 8 °C, sow directly outdoors or plant out hardened seedlings. Space 30 cm between plants and 40 cm between rows. Water well after transplanting, and use fleece if late frosts still threaten.

   Tip of the month

   Mature silverbeet handles light frost, but freshly transplanted seedlings rarely survive it. Wait for a safe forecast or use fleece.

6. 06 · Early summer

   June

   Growing
   • Thin
   • Mulch
   • Water

   Plants establish quickly and grow fast. Thin where you sowed densely, and use the small leaves in salads. Lay down straw or grass clippings as mulch to retain moisture. Steady watering matters more than volume; 2.5 cm per week is a good rule.

   Tip of the month

   Pinch off baby leaves regularly, even when you do not need them. It keeps the plant producing leaves rather than going to seed.

7. 07 · Midsummer

   July

   Harvesting
   • Harvest
   • Water
   • Maintain

   The first proper harvest begins. Cut outer leaves 5 cm above the soil and leave the centre untouched, and the plant keeps producing for weeks. Check under leaves for slugs and aphids, and water in the morning rather than evening.

   Tip of the month

   Never harvest more than a third of the leaves at once. The plant needs enough leaf area to fuel new growth.

8. 08 · Late summer

   August

   Harvesting
   • Heavy harvest
   • Sow autumn crop
   • Preserve

   Peak season. Plants are at their most productive, and this is when you fill the freezer, the pickling jars, and the ferment crocks. Sowing fresh seed now gives a clean autumn harvest in September and October.

   Tip of the month

   Silverbeet freezes best blanched 2 minutes, then plunged in ice water. Separate stems from leaves and freeze each on its own; they cook for different times.

9. 09 · Early autumn

   September

   Harvesting
   • Harvest
   • Mulch
   • Protect

   Growth slows but leaves get sweeter after the first cool nights. Lay down a thicker mulch to insulate roots and hold warmth. If you plan to overwinter specific plants, stop harvesting from those and let them build reserves for the cold months.

   Tip of the month

   Stems often deepen in colour as autumn cools. Lower temperatures intensify the pigments in Rainbow Chard and Ruby Chard.

10. 10 · Autumn

    October

    Harvesting
    • Final main harvest
    • Prepare for winter

    The main crop wraps up, and plants not destined for overwintering are pulled. You can still harvest lightly after light frost; the leaves only get sweeter. Plants meant to overwinter get covered with 10 to 15 cm of straw or leaves once the ground freezes.

    Tip of the month

    Dry a few leaves at 50 °C for winter pantry stock. Crumble them into soups, stews, and pasta dishes through the colder months.

11. 11 · Late autumn

    November

    Overwintering
    • Light harvest
    • Row cover

    In milder zones you can still harvest under fleece or in a polytunnel. Pack overwintering plants well; the goal is stable root temperature, not warmth. Frozen leaves snap easily, so never harvest while plants are stiff.

    Tip of the month

    A row-cover tunnel of fleece over hoops can stretch the season by up to six weeks in southern Norway.

12. 12 · Early winter

    December

    Dormant
    • Rest
    • Review the season

    The plants are dormant now, and so is the gardener. Write down what worked and what did not: which varieties you liked, which spot in the bed performed best, how many plants the household actually needed. These notes are gold in January.

    Tip of the month

    One season's notes are the best tool for the next season. Three sentences is enough: what, where, how well.