Chard - vitamins all year round

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How much in the world of the unconscious and the unknown. I am trying to diversify my beds with all kinds of new plants. For example, Mangold, and it is a pity that many gardeners do not even know about him.

Unlike table beets, this vegetable uses leaves and petioles. Moreover, the leaves are softer than the leaves of beets. You can use the leaves in various dishes, such as soups, salads, cabbage rolls, and they are also well associated with sorrel for green borsch. It is very tasty to cook the stalks like cauliflower or asparagus, by frying in breadcrumbs with an egg. For the winter they can be frozen, dried or pickled.

© Frank Vincentz

This plant is not whimsical, it will grow anywhere. Harvest should be tearing the most developed lower 2-3 leaves from one plant. During the growing season, there are 38-45 leaves that need to be torn off as they ripen. Chard is usually sown in three stages - in April, in June and in August. And already one and a half two months after planting, you can harvest.

If planted in April, the seeds should be dry, and close them to a depth of 1-1.5 cm. For subsequent sowing, the seeds must be soaked and mulled with peat or soil. Several plants grow from each seed, and when the seedlings grow to 5-7 cm, it will be necessary to leave one of the strongest sprout. In order for the leaves to be always beautiful and juicy, it is necessary to feed the plants with mullein or infusion of herbs every 10-20 days and water well. If suddenly frosts occur, Mangold should be dug up and transferred to the basement. We choose the strongest for the seeds, thereby cutting off their leaves 1.5-3 cm above the root head and leave it for storage in wet sand. We bury the rest of the root vegetables in the same type of soil in which he lived before digging, and for another 2 months we enjoy fresh salads, replenishing the diet with vitamins.