Everything You Need to Know About Hydroponic Rainbow Chard
Rainbow chard, sometimes called Swiss chard or 5-color silverbeet, is a hearty leafy green named for its brightly colored stalks. Most often, rainbow chard is red with green leaves, but the stalks can be a variety of colors, including pink, orange, yellow, or white. It’s an exceptionally hardy crop and does very well in most hydroponic systems.
Grow Rainbow Chard Without Soil
Rainbow chard is a perfect choice for beginners because it’s so hardy and easy to grow. Here are a few tips if you’re setting up your rainbow chard hydroponic system.
From seed, it germinates in about 1-2 weeks.
At this point, you’ll want to ensure your chard has plenty of space to grow as the plants can get fairly large.
Chard thrives in a solution with a pH of 6.6-7.0 and an EC of 1.8-2.3.
Keep the temperature between 55 and 75ºF.
Begin to harvest your plants after 4-5 weeks, but only take about ¾ of the harvest at a time to allow the plants to regrow several times.
Uses for Rainbow Chard
Rainbow chard is a fantastic and colorful addition to any salad but also has many uses beyond this. This versatile leafy green can be eaten raw or cooked, with cooked versions offering a more subtle flavor. It pairs well with citrus or garlic and can substitute for spinach in most recipes. Here are a few rainbow chard recipes to check out:
Rainbow Chard Nutrition and Health
Like many leafy greens, chard really packs a nutritional punch. It features plenty of vitamins C, E, and K as well as beta-carotene, manganese, and zinc. The nutrient that sets this leafy vegetable apart is betalain, an antioxidant that may be useful in helping the body cleanse toxins from its systems. Since cooking the chard breaks down its betalains, it’s best to eat your chard raw if you want to take advantage of this particular benefit. In some individuals, increased intake of betalains can cause beeturia or red urine, which is harmless but may be frightening to those who don’t know the cause.
Grow Rainbow Chard with Eden Green Technology
If you’re thinking about creating your own commercial hydroponic farm, let us do the heavy lifting for you. Eden Green Technology offers turnkey greenhouses, perfect for growing rainbow chard, leafy greens, and various other plants. We do all the work, building and outfitting the perfect greenhouse for your situation, and then even oversee the daily operations for you. Sound like a great solution to your commercial growing needs? Contact our hydroponic experts today to get started.