I planted them last year, but I am not an expert. They do grow rather large leaves, but I harvested the outer leaves when they were younger and tender. The plant will keep producing if you just take the outer leaves.

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.

I grow the same variety. They resemble a Rhubarb plant in form and appearance, would be fine as an ornamental.

Thanks all. I'm only planning one tomato plant in the EarthBox this year, so guess a couple will fit in there.

They get kind of wide, huh? Wonder if they'd survive in the yarrow pot? Nothing else makes it with those thugs ...

PV

Chard makes a head about twice the size of a decent romaine. I agree that taking the outer leaves keeps it in production, it also tidies the plant and keeps it more compact. Leaf miners can be a bit of a problem towards the end of season on the older leaves, so again, removing the outer leaves is an important means of harvest and pest control too.

Chard is a biennial and if you have the patience to allow it to winter over it makes the most butt-ugly blooms you have ever seen, yet life is always a ying and yang, so despite the horrible looking flowers they are also among the most sweetly scented--they have a heavy grab-your-mate-for-a-heavy-date scent that wafts over the garden with its thick and luscious perfume.

I love chard!!! And that reminds me -- I need to go plant some. Mine didn't come back for it's second year! For whatever reason, they rotted :(

I'm growing bright lights, too. It's as pretty as it is tasty!

Leisa

thanks for the leaf-miner tip, trudi!

i can't recall that i've ever eaten it, but i LOVE spinach, so i'm giving it a try. the dark green stuff is good for the blood.

hope i get more than one color in the seeds i sowed ....

PV

My chard rotted over the winter, too, even though leeks, a few kohlrabi and even some chicories overwintered quite nicely nearby. And the chard had been going strong up til late in the Fall. Go figure...maybe 6B in the mid-Hudson Valley is just a bit too far north for them.

Love it! Bright Lights is a great example of an edible that makes a great ornamental. I agree about harvesting it leaf by leaf-I treat it like a looseleaf lettuce in that respect. I've never had it survive past more than a couple of frosts, so I treat it as annual. Sauteed with a little olive oil & garlic-yum! My Bright Lights is ready to be planted out, but instead I'm playing here! Bad me!