I have grown chard twice and it was the only thing that had no bug problems. I did grow it in the late fall so I might have missed the bug problems.

Lynn,

In our garden, Swiss Chard is mostly pest-free. Sometimes early in the season I might see a few flea beetle holes in leaves, but once it warms up, I don't see flea beetle damage any more. During the summer months, there might be an occasional issue with leaf miners, but not a major one. After harvesting and washing the chard, I just tear out the portion with leaf miner damage and toss it into the compost bucket.

Swiss chard is in the goosefoot (Chenopodium) family and is closely related to beets and lamb's quarters and not to the brassica family. Really, Swiss chard is a beet that doesn't form an enlarged root so it is grown instead for its foliage.

I know that some people in some parts of the country report they have problems with cabbage worms on their Swiss chard, but I've never seen that happen in my garden.

On a side note, I don't have my broccoli in the ground yet, and the white butterflies are aimlessly circling the garden searching for it. I consider it a bad sign that the pests have shown up before the broccoli is even planted. (sigh) I suppose this is a sign I need to grow it under a floating row cover this year. It isn't often the pests show up before the plants get put into the ground.

Dawn

what can you do when you can't afford row covers?

i have broc. kale and seeds coming up, cabbage,radish,kohlrabi,swiss chard.
what can i use?

It might work to plant "trap" crops for the Cabbage White butterflies. Of course, that won't help with the Cabbage Loopers (moths) at all. I grow Cleome and Nasturtiums for the CW butterflies. I finally saw a couple of them, Dawn! They are always the first sign of spring for me.

Could it also be slugs attacking the Swiss Chard?

Seeker, do you have any sheer curtains to use instead of row covers?

Susan

Seeker, If you don't have sheer curtains, you might find some at a thrift store or garage sale.

Otherwise, tulle netting can be a good option for keeping pests off crops, depending on the size of the pest.

Other than lightweight sheer curtains or tulle netting (available at fabric stores), I can't think of any other sort of covering that would be lightweight enough to substitute for floating row covers.

Other than covering the plants, you could try to repel the pests. A garlic spray or a hot pepper spray might work. Sometimes repellent sprays work and sometimes they don't. If you need a simple recipe for a garlic-based or hot pepper-based insect repellent, let us know and somebody or several somebodies will post recipes here for you.

For any crops bothered by cabbage loopers and imported cabbage worms, there's an organic spray called Bt for short. It is a form of bacteria that only affects that specific group of insects....in this case, you'd need Bt 'Kurstaki' which targets butterfly and moth larvae. There are other forms of Bt that target other pests, including one that targets Colorado Potato Beetles. I'll link an example of one of the Bt caterpillar killers for you. This product is made by many different manufacturers and sold under many different names so just look for a caterpillar killer that has Bt as the active ingredient.

Susan, They are one of our earlier signs of spring, though not the first, but not one I'm happy to see. We have had swallowtails around all week (it seems early, but then everything is early this year) and I always am happy to see them.

I think slugs and/or snails could/would attack Swiss Chard but here in the land of red river clay, we don't have no stinkin' slugs.....so obviously I've never seen them on my Swiss Chard. I've never seen a slug anywhere on our property since moving here 13 years ago, so I hope I didn't just jinx my garden by saying that.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Example of One Bt 'Kurstaki' Product

I'm glad to hear there is little worry about pests and the swiss chard. This was a total spur of the moment purchase while visiting at Farmer's Grain. I originally went there for soil to do the final potting up of my tomatoes and peppers and saw the Northern Lights chard. They were such beautiful colors I decided to grab a few. I guess since they were sitting beside the broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower plants, I mentally lumped them into the same group. I can't wait to try them.

Seeker, I was able to purchase row cover (7 ft wide x 25 ft long) for $9.50 on ebay. Shipping was about $7. This was much cheaper than buying from a local store. Go to ebay and do a search for agribon. I originally purchased tulle for about $3/yard but it rips VERY easily so I decided to use something more sturdy. It will also help in the fall with a little frost protection.

I lost both my spring and fall crop of broccoli last year to the cabbage moth worms. It's doubtful you can distract them with a trap crop as they are ruthless and will find every single brassica anywhere in your garden. I even had them attack my radish leaves. Hate those suckers!

Good luck!
Lynn

NO I don't have those things. I was let go in Nov.2010 4 days before my bday, after 3 years. I'm a scrounging this year. I've been trading everything with the townfolk.
I do have very strong garlic and dried peppers to use!

I've been putting gallon cans around plants, then it got nice took them off, now rabbits have killed a couple plants.
garage sale i can do, hopefully they start soon!
can't wait I get so many ornamental garden things but never look at cortins.

thanks all
tree