When to sow Chard in the UK
Chard is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Chard is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant's timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow indoors | Sow outdoors | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early March to late March | early April to mid July | mid April to late May | late May to late October |
| South Coast and Channel | early March to late March | early April to mid July | mid April to late May | late May to late October |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early March to late March | early April to mid July | mid April to late May | late May to late October |
| South East and Home Counties | early March to late March | early April to mid July | mid April to late May | late May to late October |
| East Anglia | early March to late March | early April to mid July | mid April to late May | late May to late October |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early March to late March | early April to mid July | mid April to late May | late May to late October |
| Wales and West Coast | early March to late March | early April to mid July | mid April to late May | late May to late October |
| Northern England | early March to late March | early April to mid July | mid April to late May | late May to late October |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early March to late March | early April to mid July | mid April to late May | late May to late October |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early March to late March | early April to mid July | mid April to late May | late May to late October |
| Northern Ireland | early March to late March | early April to mid July | mid April to late May | late May to late October |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early March to late March | early April to mid July | mid April to late May | late May to late October |
Growing notes
Very hardy and productive; a July sowing will often overwinter outdoors and crop again the following spring.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 30 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 45 cm
- Plants per m²
- 8
- Days to maturity
- 60 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.8 kg
- Sun
- Partial shade
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 25 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 25 cm
- Balcony rating
- 4 out of 5
What usually goes wrong
- beet leaf miner
- downy mildew
- slugs and snails
- birds
Companion planting
Grows well near
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for chard.