Favorite de Saint-Tropez rustic chard
$ 4,50
Beta vulgaris Mac Gregor's Favorite x Beta vulgaris maritima, Amaranthaceae
One day, we forgot some Mac Gregor's Favorite purple leaf beet in the garden (that Scottish heritage beauty), and they survived the winter, much to our surprise... They came back in the spring, flowered and gave us seed. That year, our friend Telsing Andrews of the late Aster Lane Edibles shared with us seeds of a recent cross of her own, from a hardy Swiss chard and maritime chard. This chard, Beta vulgaris maritima is the botanical ancestor of all beets, and is still used today in crosses to develop commercial hybrid varieties, as it confers general resistance to pathogens.
We eventually grew them all at the same time and let them rustle together, and a vigorous line of hardy chard is now emerging from this union... sometimes purple with near-metallic reflections like Mac Gregor's Favorite, sometimes voluminous and salty like maritime chard, often combining all these qualities. Over time, we hope to stabilize a fine hardy variety of perpetual chard from this line!
bag = about 85 glomerules
Artisanal seeds produced on an esker here at La société des plantes, Kamouraska, Qc.
Out of stock
Sow between May and August, 5 cm apart, a little over a cm deep, in rows 45-60 cm apart if you want to see the plant develop fully, less if you prefer to cut the young leaves regularly. Thin to one plant every 10-15 cm for cutting and re-cutting.
| # of the lot for sale | SDP22 |
|---|---|
| Germination rate for 2023 of the lot on sale | 84% |
| Test germination conditions | Dark, 12 to 21ºC, Loam |
