Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla var. flavescens 'Fordhook Giant'

RHS Plant Profile
chard 'Fordhook Giant'

Save a plant

Where do you want to save Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla var. flavescens 'Fordhook Giant'?

Plants I own
Wishlist
Go to My Plants
chard 'Fordhook Giant' Michael John Day
chard 'Fordhook Giant' RHS
Award of Garden Merit
Annual Biennial
Buy this from Plant Nurseries
3 Suppliers

A strong, vigorous and very productive dark green and leafy swiss chard with crisp white stems and a strong, earthy flavour. If sown in July, leaves can be harvested in the winter months through until March. A heritage variety introduced in 1934

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Clay, Loam

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
1–2 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H3

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Amaranthaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Clump forming
Genus
Beta can be annual, biennial or perennial plants, often with rosettes of basal leaves and thick, fleshy roots. The genus includes a range of wild species, as well as cultivated food crops such as beetroot, chard and sugar beet
Name Status
Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile soil in full sun or partial shade. Add compost or well-rotted manure in the autumn and keep watered in dry conditions. See chard cultivation for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds

Pruning

No pruning required. Remove outer leaves when large enough

Pests

May be susceptible to birds, cutworms, lettuce root maggot, root aphid, root knot eelworm and slugs and snails

Diseases

May be susceptible to grey mould, lettuce downy mildew, mosaic virus and ring spot