What Not to Plant With Swiss Chard: Companions and Poor Pairings

Swiss chard is a nutritional powerhouse that deserves a spot in every vegetable garden. This cold hardy green can handle both cool and warm weather, providing harvests from spring through fall. Chard will thrive when grown alongside companion plants that enhance its growth. However, there are also certain crops that inhibit chard or compete with it. Knowing the right and wrong plants to pair with chard ensures a healthy, productive garden.

Benefits of Growing Swiss Chard

Before diving into companion planting let’s overview why Swiss chard is such a valuable crop. Here are some key benefits this leafy green provides

• Packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Excellent source of Vitamins A, C, K, E, B6, magnesium, iron, potassium and more.

• Cold hardy and heat tolerant. Thrives in cool weather but also withstands summer heat.

• Ornamental and edible. Brightly colored stems in red pink orange, yellow or white.

• Long harvest window. Can harvest leaves as soon as 30 days after planting.

• Versatile in recipes. Use raw in salads or sauté, steam, bake or add to soups and casseroles.

• Tolerates poor soil Not picky about soil as long as it drains well

• Low maintenance. Doesn’t require much care besides regular watering.

• Cut-and-come-again harvesting. Just snip outer leaves and it keeps producing.

Companion Planting Overview

Companion planting refers to the practice of strategically placing crops together in the garden to enhance growth through mutually beneficial relationships. When done properly, combining the right companion plants results in:

• Pest control through repelling or confusing pests.
• Improving pollination and attracting beneficial insects.
• Supplying shade or support to neighboring plants.
• Increasing nutrients availability.
• Enhancing flavor.
• Efficient use of garden space.

Best Companion Plants for Chard

Many vegetables, herbs and flowers make excellent companion plants for chard in the garden.

Beans

Pole or bush beans pair nicely with chard. The beans benefit from the shade of chard’s large leaves in summer. Chard helps repel bean beetles. Beans also fix nitrogen in the soil to feed chard.

Beets

Beets and chard hail from the same plant family, so they share needs for nutrients, water and space. Beets also deter pests that can damage chard.

Lettuce

Lettuce appreciates the shade provided by chard, which helps prevent bolting in summer. Chard’s tall leaves also deter lettuce pests like slugs and aphids.

Onions & Garlic

Onions and garlic mask the scent of chard from pests, plus chard shades their shallow roots. Both enhance flavor.

Radishes

Radishes grow quickly between slow-growing chard. They help break up and aerate soil. Chard foliage protects radishes from pests.

Carrots

Carrots thrive in the loose, fertile soil created by chard’s deep roots. Carrots also repel chard pests like aphids.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes benefit from the pest protection and shade offered by chard. They also enhance chard’s flavor.

Herbs like basil, parsley, mint

Herbs fill in space efficiently and their scents confuse chard pests. Mint boosts chard’s growth.

Marigolds, nasturtiums, calendula

These edible flowers attract pollinators and beneficial insects to control pests.

Peas

Peas grow quickly to provide an early harvest. Later, tall chard takes over the space and shades peas.

Celery & cucumbers

Both appreciate the moisture retention and pest protection provided by chard’s dense foliage.

Crops to Avoid Planting Near Chard

While chard pairs nicely with many plants, there are certain fruits and vegetables that should not be planted in close proximity. These incompatible crops either stunt chard’s growth or contribute to pest and disease issues.

Spinach

Do not plant spinach near chard. Since they are in the same plant family, they easily spread diseases like leaf spot and viruses between each other.

Potatoes

Potatoes and chard compete for space and nutrients. Chard also promotes late potato blight. Keep them separate.

Corn

Tall corn can shade out chard, reducing yields. Corn may also foster heavy rust on chard.

Melons & cucumbers

Melons and cucumbers stunt chard growth. Damp conditions they require also encourage chard fungal diseases.

Most herbs (except mint)

Herbs like dill, fennel, oregano, etc. have compounds that suppress chard growth. Mint is the one herb that enhances chard.

Bush or pole beans

While beneficial when planted far apart, bush or pole beans compete with chard when placed too close together.

Beets

Avoid planting chard within close range of beet greens, which share diseases. Beet roots are fine further away.

Cabbage family crops

Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale and cabbage attract the same pests as chard when planted nearby.

How to Plant Chard for Companion Gardening Benefits

Follow these tips to arrange your vegetable garden for chard success:

• Check crop rotation records to avoid planting chard in beds where spinach, beets or cabbage grew recently.

• Prepare garden soil 2-3 weeks before planting by mixing in aged compost. Chard needs nutrient-rich soil.

• Sow chard seeds 1⁄2 inch deep in early spring once soil reaches 40°F. Can also start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before last expected frost.

• Space chard seedlings 8-12 inches apart in rows kept 1 foot apart.

• Interplant quick-growing lettuce, radishes and peas with chard transplants. Follow with tomatoes, onions or carrots.

• Use marigolds, nasturtiums and herbs as edging plants to repel flying pests.

• Use taller crops like tomatoes or corn to shade chard and lettuce during hot weather.

• Ensure chard receives consistent moisture, especially several weeks after sowing until plants establish.

• Harvest outer chard leaves starting as soon as 30 days after seeds sprout.

Using these companion planting strategies reduces pest pressure and creates a thriving garden ecosystem that maximizes the health and productivity of chard and other crops.

Frequently Asked Companion Planting Questions

What are the best companion plants for Swiss chard?

Some of the best companion plants for Swiss chard include beans, beets, onions, carrots, lettuce, radishes, garlic, tomatoes, basil, parsley, mint, marigolds, nasturtiums and calendula.

What should you not plant with Swiss chard?

Do not plant Swiss chard near spinach, potatoes, corn, melons, cucumbers, most herbs (except mint), bush/pole beans, beets or any cabbage family crops.

Can you plant Swiss chard with tomatoes?

Yes, tomatoes make an excellent companion plant for Swiss chard. The tomatoes benefit from the pest protection and shade of the chard.

Can you plant beans and Swiss chard together?

Yes, beans are a great companion plant for Swiss chard. Pole or bush beans planted near chard help repel pests and benefit from the shade chard provides.

Does mint grow well with Swiss chard?

Yes, mint is one of the few herbs that grows very well with Swiss chard. Mint helps deter pests, attract pollinators and increases chard’s productivity.

Conclusion

Planning your garden with complementary plant pairings optimizes the health and productivity of your crops. Swiss chard grows best when surrounded by beneficial friends that deter pests, enhance soil nutrients and provide shade. Be sure to avoid close plantings with known challengers like spinach and melons that will inhibit chard’s performance. Using these companion planting tips, your chard will thrive!