Swiss Chard planting calendar
When to plant swiss chard — pick your state
Swiss Chard timing swings hard by climate — choose your state for sow, transplant, and harvest dates calibrated to its USDA zone and frost window.
Northeast
Southeast
Midwest
Southwest
West
Pacific
Common questions
When should I plant swiss chard?
Swiss chard is notably more versatile than spinach — it tolerates both light frost (surviving to about -4 °C) and summer heat up to 32 °C, making it a near-year-round crop in Zones 7–10. Direct-sow or transplant 1 week before the last spring frost; chard seed is actually a multi-germ cluster, so thin to final spacing after germination to prevent overcrowding. Unlike spinach, it does not readily bolt in summer, so a single sowing can be harvested by cutting outer leaves repeatedly for 3–4 months. Because the right window depends on your local frost dates, pick your US state above for a calendar with exact sow, transplant, and harvest dates.
Does the best time to plant swiss chard vary by state?
Yes — planting dates swing by several weeks across the US because each state sits in a different USDA zone with its own frost window. Every state page here gives swiss chard dates calibrated to that state's climate.
How are these swiss chard planting dates calculated?
Each state's dates come from that state's dominant USDA hardiness zone and NOAA average frost dates, then adjusted for swiss chard's cold tolerance and days to maturity.