Seed sowing time
Mangold is a biennial plant. Sowing time is from April to June.
You can already harvest leaves and stems in the first year. For overwintering the plant is protected with mulch or fleece.
Prepare the bed
For the cultivation of chard you should choose a sunny location. You dig compost into the soil already in autumn, so that it is sufficiently enriched with nutrients until spring. Before sowing you dig up the soil again thoroughly.
Since the mangold plants grow very abundantly, there should be sufficient space in the bed. You should keep a minimum distance of 30 to 35 cm between the plants.
This is how sowing
succeeds.
- form a deep hole with your fingers or a plant iron
- put in 2 – 3 seeds per seed hole
- cover with earth
- keep seed spot moist
- the germination time is one to two weeks
After seeding
If several small plants have developed in one place, they must be isolated. You leave the strongest young plant standing, the others get a new place. One of the mangold plants could find a new location in a high, wide plant pot, which should be sunny.
Until the mangold harvest, it is important to provide sufficient nutrients. This is done by mulching and fertilising.
Tips & Tricks
Keeping the minimum distance on the mangold bed can be made easier: You mark the bed with small sticks so that you can make a seed hole at the right distance.
