ROOTED IN REAL DATA Historical data. Thoughtful planning. No weather guarantees.
The growing library

When to plant
swiss chard.

Leafy greens harvested as individual leaves or whole plants.

Direct sowReviewed
01 / Right crop, right place

Where the timing comes from

Choose the region that actually covers your garden. These source references are not a nationwide planting calendar.

Spring frost-relative reference

Colorado

Up to 2 weeks before the spring frost reference

The source anchor is the average last spring frost. Use this as an approximate regional starting point.

  • Check garden soil temperature, workable soil and current weather.
  • Protect or delay frost-sensitive plants while frost remains possible.

A NOAA station’s median 32°F freeze date is a different measure. Substituting it is an application calculation, not a published local calendar.

Published regional calendar

Central North Carolina

Use the Central North Carolina calendar, with its separate establishment methods. This is not a calendar for every part of North Carolina.

Published crop row
Chard, Swiss
Published regional calendar

Florida

Use the Florida calendar for your specific subregion. Planting months are not interchangeable across the state.

Published crop row
Swiss chard
Reviewed Florida rows
North · Central · South

The source uses an older family classification, so its family label may differ from the one shown here.

Outside these regions? Use your local Extension planting guidance. A nearby weather station describes climate; it does not establish whether or when to plant this crop.

02 / Know when the clock starts

How long until harvest?

These ranges start at different stages. Keep the method, region, and crop type attached to every number.

Central North Carolina
32–42days

From transplanting

Count from setting out transplants. The earlier nursery period is excluded.

Source crop: Chard, SwissRead source
Central North Carolina
60–70days

From direct sowing

Count from seed sown directly in the garden.

Source crop: Chard, SwissRead source

A transplant has a head start. Days counted from transplanting leave out time spent raising the seedling. Use a separate seed-starting reference if you plan to raise your own plants.

03 / Before you plant

The details that matter

Amaranthaceae

Plan for swiss chard

  • Maturity is a regional reference; use the cultivar packet and the same establishment method.
  • A nearby weather station does not establish crop suitability or a locally recommended planting date.

Maturity references vary with cultivar, harvest size, weather, and establishment method. Keep your seed packet or transplant label alongside the regional calendar.

Soil temperature

40°F

Published germination minimum · Colorado

A source germination minimum, not an optimum or a transplant threshold; do not treat the number as a guarantee.

Read soil-temperature source
Minnesota cold-tolerance context

Light-frost tolerance

Observed crop-level tolerance varies with acclimation, cultivar, duration of cold and protection; not a guaranteed survival threshold.

Read the cold-tolerance source
A fall planning scenario

Work back from
a chosen harvest.

If local guidance supports a fall crop, choose a suitable harvest target and count back with the same starting method. The first 32°F freeze is not automatically the right target.

Open the fall planner
Regional maturity reference40–60 days

From direct sowing · Minnesota maturity; Maryland basis convention

Shorter-day allowance+ 14 days
Count back from your chosen harvest54–74 days

This is a planning calculation, not a validated planting window. Transplant-based calculations still exclude nursery time; suitability and the harvest target need local guidance.

Open evidence

Follow the sources.

Selected source facts reviewed . This is our review date, not the sources’ publication date.

How we use the data
  1. NC State Extension · Central North Carolina Planting Calendar
  2. Colorado State University Extension · Vegetable Planting Guide
  3. University of Minnesota Extension · Midsummer Planting for Fall Harvest
  4. University of Maryland Extension · Fall Vegetable Gardening
  5. UF/IFAS Extension · Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide