Plant record

Swiss Chard

Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris

Chard is generous without being fussy. It brings color and keeps feeding you after flashier crops fade.

Ranksubspeciesderived
GenusBetaAmaranthaceae
Species anchorBeta vulgarisThis record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.
Library score79/100strong garden record

Garden timing

Direct sow after the coldest early stretch.

Transplant in the cool shoulder season.

Succession rhythm: about every 28 days.

Plant intelligence

Good for compact blocks and repeat plantings.

foodsuccession

Lifecycle: annual

Habit: garden crop

Record score

79/100strong garden record
Taxonomy confidence94Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris in Amaranthaceae; 2 cached source references.
Square-foot usefulness944 per square with none support.
Timing and care depth842 planting windows, 40F minimum soil, 1 caution.
Species and variety drill-down400 variety or cultivar options attached.
Annual flower intelligence70Food crop with companion context.
Source readiness82Ready for 4 external lookup paths.

Species identity

This record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.

ScientificBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarisFamilyAmaranthaceaeLookup namesSwiss Chard, Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris, Beta vulgaris

Garden decision matrix

Square-foot fit4 per square
94Good for compact blocks and repeat plantings. Support: none.
Season behaviorsemi-hardy
84Direct sow. Transplant. Repeat about every 28 days.
Care loadsteady water
76Avoid letting seedlings dry out. Soil minimum 40F.
Bed ecosystem rolefood, succession
70Food-first crop with companion context.
Variety depth0 options
40Use quick varieties for repeat sowing and slower varieties for the main crop.

Companions

onion, lettuce, bean

Cautions

Avoid letting seedlings dry out.

External enrichment

Cached name: Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris. Optional lookups can compare GBIF, iNaturalist, Perenual, and Trefle without changing the reviewed garden record.

Open enrichment JSON

Data layers

FVF reviewed cachecachedSpacing, timing, variety, companion, and FVF notes used by the planner.
GBIF and iNaturalistlive no-keyNo-key taxonomy, common-name, and community context checks through the enrichment route.
USDA PLANTS downloadsreferencePeriodic identity, distribution, native status, and conservation reference layer.
Perenual or Trefleoptional keyOptional species images, care data, cultivar/synonym cleanup, then cache only reviewed fields.

API source score

Perenual API88/100optional key: Flower and ornamental drill-down, plant photos, care flags, toxicity, bloom data. Limit: Requires an API key and plan-aware caching, so it should enrich records without blocking the app.
Trefle API84/100optional key: Scientific names, subspecies, varieties, hybrids, synonyms, and broader botanical cleanup. Limit: Requires a token and should be treated as a reviewed import layer, not a live page dependency.
USDA PLANTS downloads82/100download cache: Standard names, plant symbols, distribution, native status, and conservation flags. Limit: Best consumed as periodic downloaded data instead of one-off runtime requests.
GBIF Species API78/100live public: Accepted scientific names, synonyms, family/genus cleanup, and occurrence context. Limit: Not a gardening advice source; pair it with local square-foot growing data.
iNaturalist taxa API72/100live public: Common-name discovery, taxon IDs, and regional biodiversity context. Limit: Observation data is not the same thing as garden suitability or crop timing.

Cornell Vegetable Growing Guides

Crop-specific vegetable growing guidance.

Source reference

University of Minnesota Extension

Upper Midwest vegetable guidance, cold-climate timing, and succession ideas.

Source reference

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