Field Notes: Swiss Chard
Charbell has strong resistance to Cercospora and an upright habit. They are vigorous plants with good bolt resistance and wide petioles. Unlike traditional magenta chard, Charbell is very bolt-resistant. It was bred for baby leaf production but performs very well at full size — brilliant deep magenta stems and veins with heavy, textured leaves that create loft in salad mixes.
On the farm, it delivers consistently. Big, beautiful, lush leaves. It is one of the most reliable crops in the rotation.
Firebird has dark red leaves and petioles. Strikingly beautiful, fully red, glossy, savoyed leaves. Strong petioles and beet root system.
It produces something that sits right at the intersection of earthy and sweet — the flavor has a touch of beet in its undertone that Charbelle does not. Where Charbelle is your workhorse, Firebird is your personality. Firebird is the one I reach for when I want something that makes a person stop and look before they eat it.
