How to Transplant Swiss Chard

Swiss chard looks great in your garden, but even better on the table. This hearty vegetable is very much like a strong variety of spinach, but with its own unique taste that is very popular with Mediterranean cooks. In fact, this plant traces its linage back to Sicily.

Transplant Swiss Chard

There are several reasons you might need to transplant the Swiss chard. If you started the seeds for the chard indoors in a pot, you will need to transplant. If you need to thin out a too-tight grouping of the plants, a transplant is the route to take as this versatile plant usually tolerates the process well. It should thrive in its new spot as long as it has what it needs to grow.

Spacing the Swiss Chard

Your chard plants will grow best if you space them about 8 inches apart. By providing adequate growing room, you give them the best chance of growing to their full potential.

Step 1

If you have grown the seeds in a pot, wait until they have a strong stalk and mature leaves. As soon as the plant first takes on leaves you can see the difference between its “baby leaves” and the mature leaf. Let them have at least one set of mature leaves before transplanting.

If you are moving the chard from one place in a garden to another, remember to look for the strongest, most mature looking plant to move. Transplanting the weakest one in an attempt not to lose the hearty plants is a waste of energy and a recipe for failure. Using the strongest plant gives you the best chance at success when transplanting chard outside from one spot to another.

Step 2

Using the hand spade dig up around a clump of the plants so that you can easily get as much of the root as possible, and when you feel resistance in the soil this is where there is the root. Try to go back just a bit and take the soil up without tearing the root.

Step 3

The roots of the plants might be tangled so as gently as possible using forefinger and thumb rub them apart. Set them in down and remember the faster you can get them back into the soil the better their changes of taking the transplant well.

Step 4

At the site of the transplant turn the soil and loosen it. Make the hole as deep as the seedlings roots so they will be completely covered. Pick the plant up by the leaf end and gently position the roots into the new home. Use your hands if possible to put the soil back on top. Gently patting the soil into place is better than packing it. Water the transplanted chard.

Remember to keep them watered so the soil is moist, but not over saturated.