Planting Rainbow Chard
Rainbow Chard is a cool season vegetable in the Amaranthaceae family. Getting the timing right is the difference between a strong stand and a disappointing one, so the windows below are given relative to your own last spring frost and first fall frost rather than a generic calendar date. Look up your local frost dates and count back or forward from there.
Rainbow Chard is started indoors 4–6 weeks before your last spring frost date, giving seedlings a head start before they move outside.
You can sow Rainbow Chard directly into the garden 0–2 weeks before your last frost.
Rainbow Chard can be grown by direct sowing and starting indoors. Starting indoors gives the longest, most controlled season, while direct sowing is simplest where the season is long enough.
Spacing and Planting Depth
Give Rainbow Chard room to mature. The figures below come from verified extension and seed-supplier data for typical varieties.
| Spacing in row | 6 inches |
|---|---|
| Row spacing | 18 inches |
| Plants per sq ft | 1.33 |
| Planting depth | 0.5 inches |
| Sun requirement | Full sun |
Plan a square-foot bed with Rainbow Chard →
Calculate plants in a bed for Rainbow Chard →
Days to Maturity
Rainbow Chard reaches maturity in 50–60 days from transplant. Once ready, plants continue producing for approximately 60 days.
For a continuous harvest, sow a new batch every 21 days. Use the succession planting scheduler →
Rainbow Chard is ready to harvest after about 55 days. Picking regularly over the roughly 60-day harvest window keeps plants productive and encourages a longer pick. Harvest before summer heat or, for fall crops, before a hard freeze, to keep quality high.
Conditions and Care
As a cool-season vegetable, Rainbow Chard does its best growing in the cooler weather of spring and fall and tends to bolt or turn bitter in summer heat. It is half-hardy — it withstands light frost but should be protected from a hard freeze.
Rainbow Chard needs full sun — give it at least six hours of direct light a day for the best growth and flavor. Sow seed about 0.5 inches deep, then keep the soil evenly moist until seedlings establish.
Rainbow Chard belongs to the Amaranthaceae family; rotating where you grow members of this family each year helps limit the build-up of soil-borne pests and disease. Because it matures relatively quickly, Rainbow Chard rewards succession sowing: small, repeated plantings keep a steady supply coming rather than one short glut.
See Rainbow Chard in the full planting calendar for your ZIP →
Plan crop rotation for Amaranthaceae →
Companion Plants
Pairing Rainbow Chard with the right neighbors can improve growth and deter pests; a few combinations are best avoided.
Grows well with: Green Beans (Bush), Onion
Check Rainbow Chard with other crops in your garden →
Related Crops
Other crops you might grow alongside or instead of Rainbow Chard.
In the same family
Rainbow Chard is in the Amaranthaceae family. Other Amaranthaceae crops in the Gardenable database:
Documented companions
These crops are listed as good growing partners for Rainbow Chard:
Similar growing requirements
Crops with similar season and time to maturity — useful if you want a diverse garden on a similar schedule: