How to Transplant Mature Chard Plants

1

How to successfully transplant mature chard plants to a different location in the garden, including tips for success.

Chard or silverbeet in its myriad of colours is a popular perennial cut and come again vegetable that’s easy to grow in an edible garden. Once it’s established, it continues producing for months when the outer leaves are harvested as needed. But as the seasons change, you might want to move the established plants to another spot in the garden, be it to maximise sun exposure or simply because you need the space for something else. Here’s how to do it.

Can You Transplant Mature Chard Plants

The short answer is yes but there are a few things you need to do to ensure a successful transplant.

1. Choose your time of the day well. I prefer to transplant my established chard plants late in the afternoon after the sun has gone from my garden. Transplanting in the morning puts too much stress on the plant under the midday sun particularly in summer.
2. Harvest as much of the leaves as you can, especially the larger outer leaves leaving a few smaller ones in the middle. If you don’t trim, the leaves will wilt and won’t recover no matter how much you water the plant.
3. In the new location, prepare a hole deep enough and wide enough to accommodate the plant and its rootball.
4. Using a hand trowel, gently lift as much of the rootball and soil as you can to ensure minimum disturbance.
5. Work quickly and transplant straight away.
6. Back fill with soil.
7. Give it a good soak with a seaweed tonic solution to minimise transplant shock.
8. Mulch well.
9. Keep an eye on the transplanted chard plant for the first couple of days and water as needed.

By following the above steps, I have been successful in transplanting mature chard plants to different locations on multiple occasions.