I sure can't tell the difference with my eyes closed. My wife (the chef) says she can taste a difference, but the difference is not enough that you'd ever cook them differently from each other.

As I recall from my California days, chard can be grown throughout the summer. A major advantage over spinach. It also self seeds, so once you have some, you're in business.

I'll try popping some seeds in the ground, although the planting calender has them for early spring/late fall. I have had some survive through the summer in the shade. It certainly is much more heat tolerant than most greens. Kale is pretty heat tolerant, too.
I love having it around, sometimes I just get such a craving for something green and grocery store greens are so expensive/unappetizing.
I am trying malabar spinach as an ornamental around our back porch up some trellises this summer but I've heard mixed reviews on the taste/texture.

I got a 4-pack of rainbow chard last fall, so I've been eating a lot of it, and I don't notice any difference in taste. It looks nice with a variety of color in the bowl.

Here is a link that might be useful: swiss chard

I grow Bright Lights and they all taste the same to me.

Best grown fall through spring. I still have some in the garden, but won't for much longer. The heat is on!

Ive only ever read that the plain white ribbed has a milder flavor than all the colored ones.

I am with Mindy. I think I can detect a taste difference between regular white and ruby. I can not when comparing regular white vs bright lights.

I just planted some Bright Lights seedlings. First time growing Swiss Chard for me.

Rita, it should grow just fine. I grew it last year upstate from you about 70 miles.

Thanks!

I got my greens in late this year but I figgured chard could not be too hard to grow.

Chard is great! I think the white stemmed is a bit sweeter/milder, but it's hard to tell.
Mine usually last 2 years, then bolt. You can also cut them back to almost nothing and they'll grow back, but then you have a massive "trunk". I prefer to re-plant. Nancy

Should just be an annual here and die over the winter. Planting new each spring is fine by me.

rita, mine died back for the winter but came back once it warmed up so it may do the same for you. I find that a nice quality, something to eat while I try to get other things going.

I guess I will find out. :-)

Experiment. Try a number of different kinds and colors and decide for yourself which is best. I go through stages, and right now I'm rather fond of Lucullus. One could argue that the various colored chards may provide more anti-oxident value, but for pure flavor Lucullus is hard to beat. I've had marginal production from bright lights, but everything else seems to grow like weeds. Fordhook Giant is tasty and truly lives up to its name.

I like the Fordhook variety best because the white ribs seem more succulent. The tastes of the varieties seem very similar, but the Fordhook has a texture I prefer - a little bit like Bok Choi. Plus the leaves become enormous!