When to plant swiss chard
Start swiss chard seeds indoors 5 to 6 weeks before the last frost, plant them out from 1 week before to 1 week after the last frost, sow seed outdoors 2 to 4 weeks before the last frost and plant again for fall 9 to 13 weeks before the first fall frost.
Your dates for swiss chard
Set your ZIP code at the top of the page and we will work out when to plant swiss chard where you live, from the frost records of the nearest NOAA weather station. Your ZIP code is remembered on this device only.
Swiss Chard planting dates by zone
| Zone | Start indoors | Plant out | Sow outdoors | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 2a | Apr 7 to 14 | May 12 to 26 | Apr 21 to May 5 | Jun 6 to Jul 4 |
| Zone 3a | Apr 14 to 21 | May 19 to Jun 2 | Apr 28 to May 12 | Jun 15 to Jul 13 |
| Zone 3b | Apr 5 to 12 | May 10 to 24 | Apr 19 to May 3 | Jun 25 to Jul 23 |
| Zone 4a | Apr 1 to 8 | May 6 to 20 | Apr 15 to 29 | Jun 29 to Jul 27 |
| Zone 4b | Mar 27 to Apr 3 | May 1 to 15 | Apr 10 to 24 | Jul 2 to 30 |
| Zone 5a | Mar 22 to 29 | Apr 26 to May 10 | Apr 5 to 19 | Jul 5 to Aug 2 |
| Zone 5b | Mar 20 to 27 | Apr 24 to May 8 | Apr 3 to 17 | Jul 11 to Aug 8 |
| Zone 6a | Mar 18 to 25 | Apr 22 to May 6 | Apr 1 to 15 | Jul 18 to Aug 15 |
| Zone 6b | Mar 12 to 19 | Apr 16 to 30 | Mar 26 to Apr 9 | Jul 23 to Aug 20 |
| Zone 7a | Mar 5 to 12 | Apr 9 to 23 | Mar 19 to Apr 2 | Jul 26 to Aug 23 |
| Zone 7b | Feb 22 to Mar 1 | Mar 29 to Apr 12 | Mar 8 to 22 | Aug 2 to 30 |
| Zone 8a | Feb 15 to 22 | Mar 22 to Apr 5 | Mar 1 to 15 | Aug 8 to Sep 5 |
| Zone 8b | Feb 3 to 10 | Mar 10 to 24 | Feb 17 to Mar 3 | Aug 14 to Sep 11 |
| Zone 9a | Jan 19 to 26 | Feb 23 to Mar 9 | Feb 2 to 16 | Aug 27 to Sep 24 |
| Zone 9b | Dec 20 to 27 | Jan 24 to Feb 7 | Jan 3 to 17 | Sep 9 to Oct 7 |
Spring dates before the last frost assume the soil has thawed and is dry enough to work. After a late or wet spring, wait for that even if the date has passed.
Where frost is rare
Chard tolerates heat better than spinach, so it has a long planting season in warm areas. Plant from early fall through late winter or spring, and use it as a summer green where spinach fails. It is very susceptible to root-knot nematodes in Florida.
| Zone | Planting months in Extension guides |
|---|---|
| Zone 9 | Sep-May (Central FL); mid Aug-Jan (Phoenix low desert) |
| Zone 10 | Sep-Mar |
| Zone 11 | Sep-Mar |
Based on UF/IFAS Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (VH021) Table 1: North FL Sep-Mar, Central FL Sep-May, South FL Sep-Mar. University of Arizona AZ1005 Maricopa County calendar: seed from mid-August, with seeds or transplants through January. Texas A&M's RGV Homeowner Vegetable Guide (Lower Rio Grande Valley) gives mid-October through January. Texas A&M's fall guide gives average planting dates of Oct 20 (Region IV, zone 9a) and Dec 15 (Region V, zone 9b). zone_9 uses Central FL plus Phoenix. zone_10 and zone_11 use South FL. No Hawaii source was checked. Warm-winter areas are matched to zones approximately, so use the months for your region.
How to grow swiss chardYour full planting calendar
Sources
- How to Grow Swiss Chard in Your Garden · Utah State University Extension
- Swiss Chard · University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension (Wisconsin Horticulture)
- Chard | Home Vegetable Gardening · University of Illinois Extension
- Growing Swiss Chard in a Home Garden · University of Maryland Extension
- Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP 103/VH021) · UF/IFAS Extension
- Vegetable Planting Calendar for Maricopa County (AZ1005) · University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
- RGV Homeowner Vegetable Guide · Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
- Fall Vegetable Gardening Guide for Texas · Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
- When Is the Right Time to Plant Vegetable Seeds? Check Soil Temperature · University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension (Wisconsin Horticulture)