Beta vulgaris var. cicla “Rhubarb Red”
Rhubarb Red Swiss chard, red chard, red-stemmed chard, joutte: its striking bright crimson stems have earned it its name—they resemble rhubarb stalks, although the plants are botanically unrelated. It is the same species as beetroot, but selected for its leaves and stems rather than its root.
Characteristics:
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Crimson-red stems: luminous when backlit, spectacular in the vegetable garden or flower bed.
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Two vegetables in one: the fleshy stems can be cooked like asparagus, while the green leaf blades are prepared like spinach.
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Very long harvest: leaf by leaf, from spring until frost.
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Can be grown anywhere: in the ground, in a flower bed, or even in a pot.
Sowing advice:
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Exposure: sunny.
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Soil: deep, moist, rich in organic matter, and well drained. A generous addition of compost produces broader, more tender stems.
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Method: sow from spring through summer, directly in place, 2 cm deep, in rows spaced 40 cm apart. As with beetroot, each “seed” is a glomerule containing several seeds, so thinning is essential. See how to sow seeds.
Care advice:
- Thin to 30 cm apart once the plants have 4 leaves. Water regularly to keep the soil moist, especially during hot weather: this helps prevent premature bolting.
- Mulch around the base. In mild regions, a simple frost-protection fleece allows you to harvest all winter.
Harvesting advice:
- Pick the outer leaves one at a time, always leaving the center intact: the plant will regrow and produce for months. Never cut down the entire clump.
- Harvest young leaves, which are more tender, rather than waiting until they become enormous.
Beneficial companions:
Benefits for biodiversity:
- Its broad, persistent foliage covers the soil for much of the year, protecting it from drying out and providing shelter for ground beetles and beneficial insects.
- Its prolonged presence maintains plant cover in the late season, when most rows are bare.
Uses:
- Separate the stems from the greens: prepare the stems with béchamel sauce, sautéed, or au gratin; sauté the greens with garlic or use them in a savory pie. Young leaves can be eaten raw in salads, where their red veins make a beautiful impression. See our heirloom and perennial vegetables.
Harvesting your own seeds:
It is biennial, but is generally grown as an annual because it bolts quickly. Leave one plant in the ground over winter: the flowering stalk develops from June to September in its second year. Harvest the dry flower stalks. Be careful, as it can cross-pollinate with beets: isolate your seed plant. See how to save your seeds.
Our Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Volcanoes of Auvergne, we choose open-pollinated, non-hybrid varieties, test them for germination rates, and carefully sort and package them without any chemical treatment. Our belief is to give gardeners back the ability to resow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.
Two vegetables in one, with red stems that light up the vegetable garden.
