Nourish
YOU CAN’T BEAT BEET! Want to start vege gardening this year? Consider silverbeet (AKA chard or Swiss chard). It’s easy to grow, packed with nutrition, versatile in recipes, and looks lush and beautiful.
PLANT YOUR SEEDLINGS
FIRST PICK YOUR SPOT
WATER, WATCH, AND HARVEST
Silverbeet likes some full sun, so choose a spot that gets some good full sun for at least part of the day. It shouldn’t be too windy, either. PREPARE YOUR SOIL
Silverbeet can grow in a range of soils, but it does like one that is fertile and holds moisture well. Dig your soil to loosen it, and dig in some compost or fertiliser.
It’s cheap to grow silverbeet from small seedlings. Plant the seedlings about 25 to 30 centimetres apart. Dig your holes, place the plants in the centre, and gently heap soil back in, then press down around their base. Plant in the mornings or late in the day, as hot sun can damage seedlings. Water them well as soon as you’ve planted them.
Water your silverbeet regularly. Once your silverbeet has grown, you can harvest it perpetually: pick a few outer leaves at a time, rather than the whole bunch. This will encourage new leaf growth and keep your silverbeet plants healthy. Plant another crop in Autumn to have silverbeet all year round.
A NUTRITIONAL POWERHOUSE
Research in New Zealand from 2007 showed that silverbeet has a similar nutritional profile to spinach. It’s especially rich in vitamins A and C, and, unusually for a leafy green, it contains a good quantity of vitamin E. Also, 100g of raw silverbeet contains more than 10% of your recommended daily intake of copper iron, magnesium, and potassium, and more than 20% of your recommended daily intake of folate, manganese, and potassium. It’s rich in a range of phenolic compounds, which have varying roles in your body. If you want to make the most of this, grow and eat different coloured beets – which will give you more variety in the nutrients provided. More info www.freshvegetables.co.nz/assets/ Members-pdfs/Spinach-silver-beetegg-plant-Report-1928.pdf.
TIPS
Try different cultivars, such as rainbow chard, for a colourful plate. Chard grows successfully in a good-sized container – just remember to add drainage and water often.
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DIABETES WELLNESS | Spring 2021
