How to grow Ruby Red Swiss chard: glossy dark-green leaves on vivid ruby-red stems in a sunny garden bed

How to Grow Ruby Red Swiss Chard From Seed

Updated July 2026

Ruby Red Swiss chard is the variety gardeners grow when they want color as much as harvest. Glossy, dark-green savoyed leaves rise on vivid ruby-red stems and veins, making it as at home in an ornamental border as in the vegetable bed. It is a heat-tolerant, cut-and-come-again green that starts giving you outer leaves in about 55 to 60 days and keeps producing for months. This guide covers the Ruby Red specifics; for the full step-by-step, see our complete guide to growing Swiss chard from seed.

This is the quick guide to Ruby Red. For the full step-by-step on starting seeds, sowing, feeding, and troubleshooting Swiss chard, see our complete guide to growing Swiss chard from seed.

Quick start

Direct-sow Ruby Red seed clusters half an inch deep and 2 to 3 inches apart, one to two weeks after your last frost, in full sun to part shade. Keep the bed evenly moist; seedlings appear in 5 to 10 days. Because each seed is a cluster, thin to one strong plant every 6 to 12 inches. Start cutting the outer leaves at about 55 to 60 days and keep harvesting from the outside in for months.

Best tip

Harvest Ruby Red from the outside in to keep the color coming: always cut the oldest outer stems and leave the bright new center growing. Climate note: this variety is genuinely heat-tolerant, so in hot regions like the South and Southwest give it a little afternoon shade and steady water and it will crop through summer and again in fall, while in cool northern gardens a spring sowing carries it well into autumn.

At a glance

Botanical nameBeta vulgaris subsp. cicla

Plant typeBiennial grown as an annual

USDA zones3-11 (annual); overwinters in zones 8-10

SunFull sun to part shade

Days to maturity55-60 days to first harvest

Height18-24 inches

Spacing6-12 inches apart

WaterKeep soil evenly moist, about 1 inch per week

Uses

Ruby Red earns its place on both the plate and in the border. Toss the young red-stemmed leaves into salads for color, or cook the mature leaves like spinach. The ruby stems are edible too: slice them, start them cooking a couple of minutes ahead so they soften, then add the chopped leaves. It shines in sautes with garlic, soups, stir-fries, frittatas, and pasta, and the leaves freeze well after a quick blanch.

Frequently asked questions

Is Ruby Red Swiss chard just ornamental or is it good to eat?

Ruby Red is both. The vivid red stems and dark, savoyed leaves look striking in a flower border, but they are fully edible and taste like any good chard: mild, slightly earthy leaves and crisp, tender stems. Pick young leaves for salads and cook the larger ones like spinach.

How long does Ruby Red Swiss chard take to grow?

You can start cutting outer leaves about 55 to 60 days from sowing, once they reach 6 to 8 inches tall. Because it is a cut-and-come-again crop, one planting keeps producing new leaves for months, right through fall in most gardens.

Does Ruby Red Swiss chard tolerate summer heat?

Yes. Ruby Red is notably heat-tolerant and keeps producing when spinach and lettuce bolt. In very hot regions, give it a little afternoon shade and steady water and it will crop well into the warm season and again in fall.

Will the red stems stay colorful as the plant matures?

They do. The ruby-red color runs through the stems and leaf veins and holds as the plant grows, so mature plants stay just as ornamental as young ones. Harvesting the outer leaves regularly keeps fresh, brightly colored new growth coming from the center.

Ready to grow your own? Start with our non-GMO, heirloom Swiss Chard Ruby Red seeds, and add a salad-garden pack below to fill out the bed.

Swiss Chard Ruby Red SeedsHeirloom, non-GMOHeirloom Ruby Red chard — vivid red stems, glossy leaves, and easy season-long harvests.$5.99$4.99

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Want Ruby Red chard plus a whole salad garden in one order? These packs all include Swiss chard.

15 Lettuce & Salad Greens Seeds Variety Pack15 varieties, chard includedA ready-made salad garden of arugula, kale, spinach, lettuces and more.$21.99$17.99

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25 Summer Greens & Vegetable Seeds Variety Pack25 varieties, chard includedHeat-loving greens and vegetables that thrive right alongside chard all summer.$27.99$24.99

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