Well, I prefer to plant mine directly, but this Spring it did take a full 3 weeks to see any germination, so I can understand wanting to get it going indoors. I just like to eliminate that whole hardening off issue whenever I can. I figure it knows when to come up, and if it comes up it must be hardy to the present conditions. This season I had a few chard plants that over-wintered, so I cleared away the mulch and planted new chard in the blank spaces around the older plants. So far both are living nicely under a cloche, which is really pretty wide open and ready to come off. The chard will respond to the lengthening days and noonday sun.

Looks like rhubarb. Don't eat the leaves until further identified. (the leaves should not be eaten.) They are toxic. Well, you would need to eat five lbs to be really sick, but just a fe leave will cause massive stomach discomfort. Do a google image search for rhubarb. I have mine coming up now. Lovely plant to have. Looks well established. I use mine in everything all spring through july in bbq sauce, etc.

When you applied the lime, and which lime, could have an affect on how things grew. If done shortly before planting the lime would not have had time to make any change in the soils pH and many nutrients would not be available to the plants. Lime, to have much affect on the soils pH, needs to be applied several months before that change is desired. Contact your local office of your state universities USDA Cooperative Extension Service about having a good, reliable soil test done and also dig in with these simple soil tests, Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. to see what your soil looks like and what you need to do to make that soil into a good, healthy soil.

Bright Lights does make a fantastic ornamental. I have grown them for a couple years and I plan to transplant some to my flower garden as an accent when they get large enough. I suppose chard could possibly co-exist with tomatoes in an Earthbox, depending how many plants of each you're talking about. I have never put more than two tomatoes in one Earthbox and there wouldn't be room for anything else except maybe some small herbs like a basil or two. If you only had one tomato plant therein, then maybe a chard on either side could work, provided you kept it picked back of the largest outer leaves. Chard, which is a member of the beet family, eventually grows a large cylindrical root sort of like the mangel (sp?) beets fed to cattle. Generally my Bright Lights grew to about 18 inches in diameter (without the outer leaves being harvested) and about the same in height.