Swiss Chard in Zone 9 -- plant

Subzone	Last spring	First fall	Growing days	Winter min	Fruits reliably
9a	Mar 8	Nov 24	~261	20-25°F	Yes · two seasons
9b	Feb 28	Nov 30	~275	25-30°F	Yes · two seasons

In a pot

Yes, 3 gallons and up

Chard is a great container crop and a pretty one, especially the rainbow-stemmed types. Use a pot at least 10 inches deep with drainage holes and loose potting mix, give one plant a 5-gallon pot or space several in a larger one, keep the soil evenly moist, and pick the outer leaves so it keeps regrowing all season.Chard suits containers well and the colorful-stemmed cultivars double as ornamentals. Use a container at least 10 inches deep with drainage holes and a loose, organic potting mix; a single plant fills a 5-gallon pot, or space several in a larger trough. Keep moisture even to keep leaves and stalks tender, feed regularly for the long harvest, and crop the outer leaves cut-and-come-again. It carries well from a sunny patio through much of the year.

Pot size: 3 gallons and up; 5 gallons is comfortable
Drainage: Drainage holes are a must. Skip the gravel layer. Do not let the pot sit in a saucer of water. Chard likes steady moisture, but soil that stays soggy will rot the plant, so empty the saucer within an hour of watering.Drainage holes are a must. Skip the gravel layer. Do not let the pot stand in a saucer of water. Chard needs even moisture, but a waterlogged mix rots the crown and invites disease; empty the saucer within an hour of watering.
Watering: Pots dry out much faster than the ground, so check daily in warm weather. Chard needs steady moisture to keep making tender leaves, so do not let the mix dry out, especially in summer heat.Containers dry far faster than beds, and chard stalls and toughens under drought stress, so check the top inch or two daily in warm weather and water before the mix dries. Aim for consistently moist but never soggy.
Depth and shape: At least 10 inches deep. Chard makes a substantial leafy plant, so give it depth and room: a container at least 10 inches deep with enough width to space plants 6 inches or more apart. A 5-gallon pot suits one full plant; wider troughs hold several for a steady cut-and-come-again supply.
Self-watering pot: Yes. A self-watering container suits chard well once it is growing, because steady sub-irrigation delivers the even moisture that keeps the leaves and stalks tender through heat. It does not help germination, though: the seedball sits at the dry surface above the wicking zone, so keep the top inch moist by hand until the stand is up.
Mix: Container potting mix. Use a light, loose potting mix high in organic matter; blend in compost and a starter nitrogen source for the sustained leafy harvest. Avoid garden soil, which compacts in a pot.
Feeding: Chard is a sustained leafy feeder. Mix a balanced slow-release fertilizer into the potting mix at sowing and supplement with a half-strength liquid nitrogen feed every couple of weeks through the cutting season, since frequent watering leaches pots.
Plants per pot: Illinois Extension: 1 plant in a 1 gallon pot.

One to try

Fordhook GiantThe classic heirloom: large, dark-green, heavily crinkled (savoyed) leaves on broad white stalks. Heavy-yielding, dependable, and notably heat-tolerant, a good first chard.

3 more compact types

Bright LightsAn All-America Selections rainbow mix with stems in gold, pink, orange, red, and white; ornamental as well as edible, with milder flavor. The most popular colorful type.

LucullusA pale-green, lightly crumpled heirloom with white stalks, prized for heat tolerance and a long, productive harvest in warm regions.

Ruby Red

Winter

In mild areas, a pot of chard can keep producing through winter in a sheltered, sunny spot. In cold areas, move the pot against the house or into a cold frame, or cover it during hard freezes, and it will often resume in spring.Chard is frost-tolerant, so a container can overwinter in mild zones, holding through winter in a sheltered spot and resuming growth in spring. In cold zones the limited root volume of a pot freezes harder than open ground, so sink it, move it to a cold frame or unheated structure, or cover it during hard freezes. Note that an overwintered plant has been vernalized and will bolt as spring warms, so plan to crop it before the stalk forms.

Pot safety

Ask what your balcony or roof can carry

A balcony or roof can only hold so much weight. Before you set heavy pots there, ask a building architect what it can safely carry.Illinois Extension's guidance is to consult a building architect about weight limits before placing heavy pots on a balcony or rooftop garden. It gives no weight figure.

Never grow food in a container with anything toxic in it

Many kinds of containers can be used. Whatever you choose, keep anything toxic out of it, especially if you are growing food.Colorado State accepts nearly any container material but warns against using a container that holds toxic materials, especially for edible plants. Illinois adds that a vegetable container should be free of chemicals toxic to plants or people, and urges caution with treated lumber when growing food. If you cannot account for what a repurposed container once held, that alone is a reason to keep food out of it.

Secure hanging containers well

Fasten hanging baskets and window or rail boxes securely. Think about what is below them too, since they can drip on people or things underneath.Illinois Extension asks growers to secure hanging containers well and to think through the safety issues of hanging them. Placement matters too, since a hanging container can drip onto people or belongings below.

Soil chemistry

Soil pH for swiss chard

Preferred

6 to 7

Tolerated

6 to 7.5

Soil pH measures how acidic or alkaline your soil is, on a scale from 1 to 14 where 7 is neutral. Swiss chard does best from about 6.0 to 7.0, slightly acidic to neutral, and it is more forgiving of soil type than many greens. It handles a touch of alkalinity better than spinach and is happy in most garden soils. A cheap soil test from your local extension office tells you your number and whether you need to add lime.Aim for a soil pH of about 6.0 to 7.0, slightly acidic to neutral. The University of Minnesota notes chard tolerates soil somewhat more acidic than spinach, as low as about pH 6.0, and Clemson cites a 6.0 to 6.5 range; like the beet it is the same species as, chard also handles mildly alkaline soil (to about 7.5) better than most leafy greens. Acidity well below 6.0 is the main risk, where germination and micronutrient uptake suffer. A standard soil test removes the guesswork before sowing.

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Steady hand on the hose

Watering

When & how much

Frequency

Keep the soil evenly damp, paying closest attention while the seeds are sprouting and while you are harvesting. Once the plants are growing, give about 1 to 1.5 inches of water a week, counting rain, in fewer but deeper waterings.Even, consistent moisture is the rule, most critical during the slow germination window and through the long cutting season. Aim for about 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week including rain once established, delivered in deeper, less frequent soakings; chard is shallow-rooted and steady moisture keeps the leaves and stalks tender.

Amount

About 1 to 1.5 inches of water a week, including rain, once the plants are growing. Give more in hot, dry weather and less in cool weather. While the seeds are sprouting, just keep the top of the soil damp.Roughly 1 to 1.5 inches per week including rainfall once established, more in heat or sandy soil and less in cool or heavy soil. During germination the seedbed needs only enough to stay evenly moist near the surface.

Method

Water gently at soil level, using a soaker hose or drip line. A hard blast from the hose can wash out the shallow seeds or pack the soil into a crust the sprouts cannot push through, and wet leaves invite disease, so keep it gentle and low.Water at the base with a soaker hose or drip line to keep the surface evenly moist without crusting the bed or washing out the shallow-sown seedballs, and to keep the foliage dry, which checks Cercospora and downy mildew. Avoid hard overhead bursts on a fresh seedbed.

Signs of trouble

Too much water

If the soil stays soaking wet, seedlings can damp off and the leaves can get moldy. Watch for yellow lower leaves and a constantly wet, sour-smelling bed. If you see these, water less and make sure the soil drains well.Constantly saturated soil invites damping-off in seedlings and the leaf diseases, and yellowing lower leaves, soft growth, and a sour, waterlogged bed are signs to back off. Poor drainage is the usual cause.

Too little water

Droopy, dull leaves, slow growth, and tough, stringy stems mean the chard needs more water. Chard handles heat well, but only if you keep it watered, so do not let the bed dry out in summer.Dull, wilting leaves, slowed growth, and toughened, stringy stalks signal too little water. Chard is heat-tolerant but only with steady moisture; drought in heat is what stalls it, so keep water even through warm spells.

Feeding rhythm

Feeding

Frequency

at planting, then side-dress through the long harvest

Type

Nitrogen-rich fertilizer

When to start

work compost and a balanced fertilizer into the bed before sowing, then side-dress with nitrogen about 4 weeks after the seedlings are up and again every 4 to 6 weeks through the cutting season

Swiss chard grows lots of leaves and likes nitrogen to keep making them. Mix some compost and a balanced fertilizer into the soil before planting, then feed it with a nitrogen fertilizer about a month after the seedlings come up, and again every 4 to 6 weeks while you are picking. Because you cut from the same plant for months, a steady supply of food keeps the leaves big and tender.Chard is a leafy crop that runs on nitrogen, and because it is cut over a long season it benefits from periodic feeding rather than a single dose. Work compost and a balanced fertilizer into the bed before sowing, then side-dress with nitrogen about 4 weeks after emergence and again every 4 to 6 weeks while you keep cutting. Utah State suggests about a quarter cup of 21-0-0 per 10 feet of row. Steady nitrogen and even moisture keep the leaves large, tender, and dark; repeated harvesting pulls a lot out of the plant, so do not let it run hungry.

N · P · K = 21-0-0

Use a nitrogen-rich feed such as blood meal or a 21-0-0 fertilizer, repeated every 4 to 6 weeks while you harvest, over a balanced fertilizer mixed in at planting.High nitrogen for sustained leafy growth, e.g. a quarter cup of 21-0-0 per 10 ft of row or calcium nitrate, side-dressed every 4 to 6 weeks over a balanced base worked in at sowing. Phosphorus and potassium per a soil-test baseline.

Try 21-0-0, calcium nitrate, or blood meal over a balanced base

Who grows well together

Companion planting

Swiss chard is an easygoing neighbor that shares a bed nicely with many crops. It grows well next to beans, the cabbage family (broccoli, cabbage, kale), onions and other alliums, and low herbs. The main plants to keep apart from chard are its close relatives beets and spinach, which share the same leafminer pest, so do not crowd them together. As always, do not trust every companion chart online, since many of their claims have never been tested. Chard fits easily into mixed beds and its companion list mirrors the beet's, since they are the same species. West Virginia University's companion guide lists beans, the cabbage family, and onions among the good neighbors for the chard and beet group, all reasonable on space-and-timing grounds. The one well-grounded caution is to separate chard from its goosefoot-family relatives beets and spinach, which share the leafminer and several leaf diseases, a rotation and pest principle more than a tested adjacency effect. Treat the rest as sensible defaults: as the University of Minnesota stresses, most companion claims are tradition rather than tested science, so use them as a starting point and watch your own results.

Other

Beans

Bush beans and chard make easy bedfellows, and the beans add a little nitrogen to the soil that the leafy chard can use. Keep tall pole beans out of the way, though, since they shade the low chard.Beans interplant well with chard on structure and soil: bush beans share the bed without crowding the chard rosette and fix a little nitrogen the leafy crop draws on. WVU lists beans among the good companions for the beet and chard group. A space-and-soil benefit rather than a pest one; keep climbing pole beans away, as they shade the low, sun-loving chard. Traditional

Cabbage family (broccoli, cabbage, kale)

Chard and the cabbage-family crops both like the same cool-to-mild weather and do not compete much, with the low chard sitting under the taller brassicas. A productive way to fill a bed.Chard and brassicas share a long cool-to-mild season and a complementary structure, the low chard rosette under the taller cabbage-family canopy, so they coexist without much competition. WVU lists the cabbage family among the good companions for the beet and chard group. A sensible structural pairing rather than a measured effect. Traditional

Onions and other alliums

Onions, leeks, and garlic grow tall and narrow with shallow roots, so they tuck between chard plants without crowding them, and their strong smell is widely used to help keep some leaf-eating pests away.Alliums are a classic interplant for the beet and chard group: shallow-rooted and upright, they share the bed without competing, and their sulfur volatiles are widely credited with masking the crop from some leaf-feeding pests. The space benefit is solid; the pest deterrence is plausible but not proven for chard specifically. Well-grounded

Keep apart from

Beets and spinach Keep chard away from beets and spinach. They are close relatives in the same plant family and share the same leafminer pest and some leaf diseases, so planting them together helps those problems build up.Chard, beet, and spinach all belong to the goosefoot family and are the favored hosts of the beet and spinach leafminer, whose maggots blister and ruin the leaves; they also share Cercospora leaf spot and downy mildew. Planting them side by side or in succession concentrates the leafminer and disease pressure and feeds the soil-overwintering pupae. Separate them in space and rotate so goosefoot crops do not follow one another. Well-grounded

Provenance tagged inline · see methodology for the labeling system Key

Harvest signals

When to pick

Swiss chard is ready to pick when the outer leaves are about 8 to 12 inches long (or smaller for baby leaves), around 50 to 60 days after planting. Cut or snap off the outer leaves and leave the middle of the plant to keep growing, and it will produce for months from the same plant. Pick a few leaves from each plant regularly, and save the bright stalks to cook on their own, since they take a little longer than the leaves.Swiss chard is ready to start cutting when the outer leaves reach a usable size, roughly 8 to 12 inches long (or smaller for tender baby leaves), usually about 50 to 60 days from sowing. Harvest cut-and-come-again: snap or cut the outer leaves an inch or two above the crown and leave the central growing point, and the plant keeps generating new leaves for months. Crop regularly to keep new growth tender, and cook the colorful stalks as a separate vegetable, giving them a head start over the quicker leaves.

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Yield

What to expect

One chard plant gives you leaves again and again over months, not just a single harvest. A short row of a few plants keeps a household in greens for much of the year.A single chard plant is highly productive over a long season, yielding repeated cuttings of leaves and stalks for months from one sowing. Utah State cites about 8 to 12 pounds from a 10-foot row over the season.

Chard produces steadily from early summer right through fall, and in mild-winter areas it keeps going into winter. Unlike lettuce and spinach, it does not flower and quit in the heat, so the harvest just keeps coming.Production builds through the warm months and holds longest where winters are mild; a spring planting peaks across summer and fall, and in mild zones the same plants carry into and through winter. Because the plant does not bolt in its first year, there is no abrupt early end as there is with spinach or lettuce. The trick with chard is to keep picking. Cut the outer leaves often, keep it watered and fed, and one planting will feed you for months. Most beginners are surprised how long a few chard plants keep going.The key to total yield is steady care and frequent cutting: keep moisture and nitrogen even, crop the outer leaves regularly so the crown keeps generating new ones, and let a single healthy planting run for months rather than replanting. New growers often underestimate how long one chard sowing produces.

What changes yield

Frequent harvest: cropping outer leaves regularly keeps the crown producing tender new growth; letting leaves over-mature slows the plant.Even moisture and nitrogen: steady water and periodic feeding sustain large, tender leaves through heat and a long season.Heat handling: chard keeps producing in summer where other greens bolt, but only with even moisture, mulch, and afternoon shade in extreme heat.Thinning: thinning the seedball clusters to proper spacing prevents the small, stringy plants that crowding produces.

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Pick your variety

Recommended varieties

Chard varieties are mostly about color. Fordhook Giant is the reliable white-stemmed classic and takes heat well. For a rainbow of stems, grow Bright Lights; for deep red, Ruby Red; for yellow, Bright Yellow or El Dorado. If you garden somewhere hot, Lucullus and Perpetual Spinach hold up especially well. They all grow the same way and are ready in about 50 to 60 days, with small leaves sooner.Chard varieties differ mainly in stalk color and leaf texture rather than growing needs. Fordhook Giant is the dependable white-stemmed standard and one of the most heat-tolerant; Lucullus and the leaf-beet type Perpetual Spinach are the choices for the hottest regions and the longest harvest. For color, Bright Lights gives the full rainbow, Ruby Red the deep crimson, and El Dorado or Bright Yellow the gold tones; the colorful types are as ornamental as they are edible, though some red strains bolt slightly sooner. Most cultivars mature in about 50 to 60 days, with baby leaves much sooner.

Fordhook Giant

The classic heirloom: large, dark-green, heavily crinkled (savoyed) leaves on broad white stalks. Heavy-yielding, dependable, and notably heat-tolerant, a good first chard.

Bright Lights

An All-America Selections rainbow mix with stems in gold, pink, orange, red, and white; ornamental as well as edible, with milder flavor. The most popular colorful type.

Ruby Red (Rhubarb Chard)

Deep crimson stalks and veins against dark-green leaves; vivid in the garden and on the plate, though red types can bolt a touch more readily than the whites.

Lucullus

A pale-green, lightly crumpled heirloom with white stalks, prized for heat tolerance and a long, productive harvest in warm regions.

El Dorado / Bright Yellow

Vivid yellow or gold petioles with smooth to lightly savoyed green leaves; a bright single-color alternative to the rainbow mixes.

Perpetual Spinach (leaf beet)

A chard type grown for thin-stemmed, spinach-like leaves rather than wide stalks; very slow to bolt and an excellent heat-season spinach substitute.

Off the vine

Storing your harvest

Room temp

Do not leave chard out on the counter. The leaves wilt fast in the warmth, so get it into the fridge soon after picking.Poor for more than a day or two. At room temperature chard leaves wilt and yellow quickly; cut leaves should be refrigerated promptly. The sturdy stalks hold a little better than the blades but are still best chilled.

Fridge

Store chard unwashed in a loose bag in the fridge's crisper drawer, where it keeps for 1 to 2 weeks if kept very cold. Wash it only when you are ready to cook it.Refrigerate unwashed in a loose or perforated bag in the crisper; chard holds about 1 to 2 weeks near 32°F at high humidity, a bit longer than spinach thanks to the sturdier leaves and stalks. Washing before storage traps moisture and speeds breakdown, so wait to wash until use.

Freezer

Chard freezes well if you blanch it first. Cut the leaves from the stalks, boil the leaves about 2 minutes (the stalks a little longer), cool them right away in ice water, drain, and freeze.Chard freezes well once blanched: separate the stalks from the leaves (the stalks need a minute or two longer), blanch about 2 minutes, cool quickly in ice water, drain well, and freeze. Blanching halts the enzymes that otherwise cause off-flavors and color loss.

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When something goes wrong

Common problems

01 of 04

What happened You found pale winding tunnels that widened into tan blisters on the leaves, with no good way to wash them off. That is the leafminer, a fly whose maggots eat inside the leaf, and because you eat chard leaves it ruins them. Next time, cover the plants with a row cover from the day you sow so the flies cannot lay eggs, pull weeds like lambsquarters that host them, keep chard away from beets and spinach, and pick off mined leaves early.Leaves showed serpentine mines opening into translucent tan blotches, the signature of the beet and spinach leafminer, which has several generations and overwinters as soil pupae. Sprays reach larvae inside the leaf poorly. Next time exclude the adult flies with row cover from sowing, control goosefoot weeds, rotate away from chard, beets, and spinach, and remove mined leaves before pupation. Next season Use a row cover from sowing, keep chard away from beets and spinach, and remove mined leaves before the maggots spread.Row-cover from sowing, control host weeds, rotate the goosefoot crops apart, and strip mined leaves before larvae drop.

02 of 04

What happened Your chard leaves got many small round spots with pale centers and dark reddish rings, and badly spotted leaves browned and died. That is Cercospora leaf spot, a fungus that lives on old debris and splashes up onto the leaves in warm, humid weather. Next time, water at the soil in the morning, space the plants for airflow, clean up old leaves, and do not plant chard where beets or spinach just grew.Round tan-centered spots with reddish-purple margins coalesced on the older leaves, the signature of Cercospora beticola, favored by warm, humid weather and prolonged leaf wetness. Next time water at the base early in the day, widen spacing, destroy infected debris, lengthen the goosefoot rotation, and choose tolerant varieties where it recurs. Next season Water at the base in the morning, space for airflow, clean up debris, and rotate away from beets and spinach.Base-water early, space for airflow, destroy debris, rotate the goosefoot crops, and use tolerant varieties.

03 of 04

What happened Your chard shot up a tall central stalk and the leaves turned tough and bitter. Chard is a biennial, so it normally flowers only after a winter; a plant that lived through winter will bolt in spring. The other cause is planting too early into cold soil, which can fool a young plant into flowering. It does not bolt from summer heat. Next time, wait to sow until the soil warms, and treat an overwintered plant as a spring crop to harvest before it flowers.The plant elongated a seed stalk and leaf quality collapsed. In chard this is vernalization-driven, an overwintered plant bolting in spring, or premature bolting from a too-early cold-soil sowing or a hard spring cold snap on young plants. It is not a heat or long-day response. Next time delay sowing until soil passes about 50°F and crop overwintered plants before the stalk elongates. Next season Sow once the soil warms past about 50°F, and harvest overwintered plants before they flower in spring.Sow into warmed soil, avoid cold-snap vernalization of seedlings, and harvest overwintered plants before bolt.

04 of 04

What happened Your chard came up thin and patchy, or in crowded clumps that stayed small. Chard seed is slow, can be blocked by a hard soil crust, and each seedball sprouts several seedlings that must be thinned or they choke each other. Next time, soak the seed before sowing, keep the surface moist so it does not crust, use fresh seed, and thin the clumps to one plant every 6 inches.Stand was thin and uneven or crowded. The multigerm seedball germinates slowly and unevenly, a crust blocks the weak shoots, and unthinned clusters compete to small, stringy plants. Next time pre-soak the seedballs, keep the bed moist and uncrusted, sow fresh seed, and thin clusters to one plant every 6 to 12 inches at the 2-to-3-leaf stage. Next season Soak the seed, keep the surface moist so it does not crust, use fresh seed, and thin the clumps early.Pre-soak seedballs, prevent crusting, use fresh seed, and thin the clusters promptly.

The usual suspects

Pests & diseases

Pests

Leafminer (beet and spinach leafminer)

P · 01

Symptoms You will see pale, winding tunnels in the leaves that widen into large tan blisters or blotches, with the green skin of the leaf intact above and below. Hold a leaf to the light and you can see the tiny maggot working inside. Since you eat chard leaves, this ruins the damaged parts.Slender, winding mines enlarge into translucent tan blotches; because the crop is the leaf, even light feeding downgrades it, and heavily mined chard is unusable. The pale legless maggots are visible inside the leaf against the light. Cause A small fly lays eggs on the underside of the leaves, and the maggots that hatch tunnel inside, eating between the top and bottom layers. Chard, beets, and spinach are its favorites, which is why it helps not to plant them together.The beet and spinach leafminer (Pegomya species) overwinters as pupae in the soil; females lay rows of white eggs on leaf undersides, and the maggots tunnel between the leaf surfaces. There are several overlapping generations a season on chard, beets, spinach, and goosefoot weeds, the reason these relatives are rotated and spaced apart. Organic treatment Once a maggot is inside a leaf, sprays do not reach it well, so pick off and destroy mined leaves as soon as you see them, before the maggots drop to the soil. Crushing the maggot inside the leaf works too. Keep the plant healthy and it will outgrow light damage.Insecticides reach larvae inside the leaf poorly, so rely on cultural control: pick and destroy mined leaves before larvae drop to pupate, and crush maggots in the leaf. Vigorous, evenly watered plants outgrow light damage, and naturally occurring parasitic wasps usually keep numbers in check. Prevention Cover the plants with a light row cover right after sowing so the flies cannot lay eggs, pull nearby weeds like lambsquarters that host the pest, and move chard away from where you grew chard, beets, or spinach last year.Exclude the egg-laying flies with floating row cover from sowing, control goosefoot weeds (lambsquarters, chickweed) that host the pest, rotate away from where chard, beets, or spinach grew, and remove the first mined leaves promptly to break the cycle.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Crop rotation

Give chard a different bed than the one that held chard, beets, or spinach last season. The flies spend the winter in the soil under those crops, so a fresh spot starts you off with fewer of them nearby.Pupae overwinter in the soil beneath the previous host crop, so siting chard away from last year's chard, beet, or spinach separates the emerging adults from the planting. Keeping these relatives apart in the garden rather than side by side works on the same logic.
Garden sanitation

Pull the weeds around the bed, particularly lambsquarters and chickweed, which feed the same pest. Clearing spent chard, beet, and spinach leaves helps too, since they give the flies somewhere to keep going.Goosefoot weeds such as lambsquarters and chickweed carry the leafminer between plantings, so weeding the bed and its margins narrows the host bridge that the several overlapping generations depend on across a season.
Floating row cover

Put a light row cover over the bed as soon as the seed is in the ground, and leave it on while the plants are young. If the flies cannot reach the leaves, they cannot start the tunnels.Exclusion has to be in place from sowing, ahead of the first egg-laying flight. Females deposit rows of white eggs on leaf undersides, so any open edge or gap in the cover gives them the access they need.
Handpicking

The moment you spot a tunneled leaf, take it off the plant and get rid of it, or pinch the leaf and squash the maggot inside. Do it before the maggots drop out to the soil, where they turn into the next round of flies.Removing mined leaves ahead of larval drop is the main lever, because the larva sits protected between the leaf surfaces where insecticides reach it poorly. Crushing in place is the alternative when you would rather not strip leaf area off a young plant.
Beneficial predators

Tiny wild wasps that attack the maggots are usually already working in the garden, and they often hold the numbers down on their own. Go easy on sprays that kill a wide range of insects so those helpers stay in the bed.Naturally occurring parasitic wasps generally keep leafminer numbers in check, which is a large part of why this pest is handled culturally. An insecticide application tends to cost more in parasitoids than it takes out of larvae shielded inside the leaf.

No spray for this one. Prevention is the control.

Aphids

P · 02

Symptoms Clusters of tiny soft green or black insects collect on the undersides of leaves and on new growth, leaving leaves curled, yellowed, and sticky. They can hide down in the crinkled leaves and along the stalks, and they can spread plant viruses.Colonies of soft-bodied aphids on leaf undersides, new growth, and along the petioles distort and yellow the foliage; honeydew and sooty mold downgrade the crop, and the crinkled leaves of savoyed types shelter colonies. Aphids also transmit virus diseases. Cause Aphids are small insects that suck sap from the plant. They breed quickly, especially on soft growth from too much nitrogen, and fly in from weeds and other plants.Several aphid species feed on chard sap; populations build fastest in mild weather and on the soft, lush growth that excess nitrogen produces, with winged forms moving in from weeds and other crops. Organic treatment Blast them off with a strong spray of water, which often does the trick, or use insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on the undersides of the leaves. Ladybugs and other helpers usually take care of the rest. Do not over-feed with nitrogen.A strong water jet dislodges colonies and is often enough; where needed, insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on leaf undersides is effective. Conserve ladybugs, lacewings, and parasitoid wasps, and avoid pushing growth with nitrogen. Prevention Welcome helpful bugs like ladybugs and lacewings by not spraying broadly, go easy on nitrogen, keep weeds down, and check the new growth and leaf undersides now and then so you catch them early.Scout new growth and petioles early, avoid over-fertilizing with nitrogen, conserve natural enemies, and control nearby weed hosts. Row cover used against the leafminer also excludes aphids.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Balanced nitrogen feeding

Ease off high-nitrogen feeding. A lot of nitrogen pushes out soft, sappy new leaves, and that is the growth aphids multiply on fastest.Excess nitrogen produces the lush, soft tissue on which colonies build most quickly, so feeding for steady growth rather than a flush leaves the crop less favorable to them.
Garden sanitation

Keep the weeds down around the planting. Winged aphids fly in from weeds and other plants nearby, so fewer of those close by means fewer arrivals landing on your chard.Weedy margins act as a reservoir for the winged forms that colonize the crop, so clearing them lowers the immigration pressure that scouting otherwise has to catch on the new growth.
Floating row cover

The same light row cover you would put up against leafminers keeps aphids off as well, so if it is already over the young plants you are covered for both.Row cover deployed for the leafminer also excludes colonizing aphid flights, so one exclusion decision on this crop returns against two pests.
Water spray

A hard jet from the hose knocks the clusters off, and that is often enough on its own. Aim up underneath the leaves and down into the crinkles and along the stalks, where they hide.A strong water jet dislodges colonies from leaf undersides and petioles and is frequently sufficient by itself. Savoyed types need the jet worked into the crinkling, which shelters colonies from a straight-on spray.
Beneficial predators

Ladybugs, lacewings, and small wasps eat aphids and usually clean up what is left after a water blast. They stay around if you skip broad sprays, so give them a few days to work before doing anything else.Conserving ladybugs, lacewings, and parasitoid wasps generally handles the residual population. Broad-spectrum applications cost more in natural enemies than they return against a pest that rebuilds quickly from winged immigrants.
Insecticidal soap

If colonies keep rebuilding, spray insecticidal soap and wet the undersides of the leaves, since that is where the aphids sit. It only affects what it actually lands on, so coverage is the whole job.Soap is a contact material, so results track coverage of undersides and petioles rather than dose, and it needs repeating as new colonies appear on fresh growth.
Horticultural oil

Horticultural oil is the other option and works the same way, by coating the aphids where the spray lands, so again get it well up under the leaves.Horticultural oil fills the same contact niche as soap on leaf undersides; the limiting factor is placement into sheltered colonies, not choice of the two materials.

The bottom rungs are products with label rules: timing, pollinators, and days to wait before harvest. Before you spray →

Flea beetle

P · 03

Symptoms Lots of tiny round holes peppering the leaves of young plants, like buckshot, made by small dark beetles that hop away like fleas when you come near. On big plants it is mostly a looks problem, but on tiny seedlings heavy damage can stunt or kill them.Tiny round shot-holes and pits riddle the leaves, heaviest on young seedlings, giving the foliage a sandblasted look; the small dark beetles jump when disturbed. Damage is mostly cosmetic on established plants but can stunt or kill seedlings at high pressure and it disfigures leaves grown for greens. Cause Small jumping beetles called flea beetles chew the holes. They spend winter in garden debris and come out in spring, hitting tender young plants hardest in warm, dry weather. They feed on chard, beets, and spinach.Several species of small flea beetles whose adults chew the pits and holes; they overwinter in garden debris and become active in spring, with the heaviest pressure on tender new growth in warm, dry weather. Chard, beet, and spinach are all hosts. Organic treatment Keep seedlings well watered and growing fast and they will usually outgrow the damage. If beetles are swarming young plants, dust the leaves with kaolin clay or use a vegetable-labeled product, and clear out weeds nearby. Grown chard rarely needs anything.Healthy, fast-growing plants outgrow flea beetle feeding, so keep seedlings well watered and unstressed. Where pressure is high, treat with kaolin clay or a vegetable-labeled product and clear weedy hosts; mature chard seldom needs treatment. Prevention A row cover over the seedbed during the early weeks is the best protection, keeping the beetles off while the plants are small. Clean up old plant debris where the beetles spend winter.A floating row cover over the seedbed is the most reliable defense, excluding the beetles during the vulnerable seedling stage. Clean up debris where adults overwinter and keep seedlings vigorous.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Garden sanitation

Rake out old plant debris when the season ends, since that is where the beetles pass the winter, and pull the weeds around the bed that they also feed on. Fewer wintering spots means fewer beetles waiting when your seedlings come up.Adults pass the winter under garden residue and emerge in spring onto whatever tender growth is up first, so clearing residue and weedy hosts lowers the local carryover that lands hardest on the seedbed.
Floating row cover

Stretch a row cover over the seedbed and leave it there through the first few weeks. While the plants are tiny, that is the protection you can count on most; once they are up and growing well, the little holes are mostly a looks problem.Cover through the seedling stage, when heavy feeding can stunt or kill outright. On established plants the shot-holing is largely cosmetic, though it still disfigures foliage that is being grown as the crop.
Kaolin clay film

When beetles are thick on young plants, coat the foliage with kaolin clay, a fine white mineral clay applied as a dust. Seedlings that are watered well and growing fast usually outgrow the pitting on their own, so save this for heavy pressure.Kaolin is the option under high seedling pressure. Keeping plants unstressed and evenly watered so they grow through the feeding does most of the work, and mature chard seldom warrants any treatment.

No spray for this one. Prevention is the control.

Slugs and snails

P · 04

Symptoms Ragged holes chewed in the leaves, especially the big lower leaves near the ground, with slimy trails that glisten in the morning. They feed at night and in damp, shady spots.Irregular ragged holes with smooth edges in the foliage, concentrated on the large lower leaves and any leaf resting on damp soil, accompanied by silvery slime trails. Feeding is nocturnal and worst in cool, wet, shaded conditions and under dense canopy. Cause Slugs and snails are soft, slimy pests that come out at night and in wet weather to chew on tender leaves. Chard's large, low leaves and the moist, shady ground under them are exactly what they like.Slugs and land snails that shelter in moist debris by day and feed on tender foliage at night; chard's broad, low leaves and the humid microclimate beneath a full stand favor them, particularly in wet weather and irrigated beds. Organic treatment Pick them off after dark by flashlight, set out shallow dishes of beer to trap them, or scatter an iron-phosphate slug bait, which carries less risk around pets and wildlife than the older metaldehyde baits. It is still a pesticide, so put it on the soil and follow the label. Remove hiding spots like boards and dense debris near the plants.Hand-pick after dark, trap with shallow beer dishes or boards used as daytime refuges to collect under, and apply an iron-phosphate bait where pressure is high. Reduce the moist daytime harborage that sustains them. Prevention Water in the morning so the surface dries by night, give plants room for airflow, and clear leaf litter, boards, and weeds where slugs hide during the day. A ring of coarse, scratchy material around plants can slow them down.Irrigate in the morning so surfaces dry by nightfall, space plants for airflow, and clear boards, litter, and weeds that harbor slugs. Remove the lowest leaves resting on soil to cut humidity at the crown.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Garden sanitation

Take away the boards, piles of leaves, and weedy cover close to the plants, since that is where they sit out the daylight hours. Leave room between plants so air moves through, and strip off the lowest leaves lying flat on the soil.Cutting daytime harborage and the humid microclimate under a full stand is the base layer: spacing for air movement, plus removal of the ground-contact lower leaves that hold moisture at the crown.
Water at the base

Aim the hose at the soil and water early in the day instead of in the evening. Slugs come out at night and travel over damp ground, so a surface that has had hours to dry is less inviting by the time they start moving.Delivering irrigation at ground level early in the day sets the surface up to dry before dusk, when nocturnal feeding begins. Evening watering leaves the bed damp straight through their active hours, and under a full chard canopy that moisture lingers longer than it does in the open.
Handpicking

Take a flashlight out to the bed after dark and collect them by hand. They feed at night, so that is when you will actually find them up on the leaves instead of hidden away.Nocturnal hand-collection is the most direct removal and is best timed to damp evenings, after irrigation or rain, when feeding is heaviest under the canopy.
Slug traps and barriers

Sink shallow dishes of beer at soil level to trap them, or lay a board on the ground as a daytime hiding place and lift it each morning to collect whatever gathered underneath. A ring of coarse, scratchy material around the plants can slow them down as well.Beer dishes trap directly, while boards set out as artificial daytime refuges concentrate them for collection. A coarse abrasive ring is a supporting barrier rather than a control on its own.
Iron phosphate slug bait

Where they keep chewing through the leaves, scatter an iron-phosphate slug bait, the type usually recommended for gardens with pets and wildlife around. Spread it thinly at the rate on the label rather than in piles.Iron-phosphate bait is the material for sustained pressure and the usual choice where pets and wildlife move through the beds. It supplements the harborage reduction above rather than substituting for it, since fresh slugs move in from any damp cover left nearby.

The bottom rungs are products with label rules: timing, pollinators, and days to wait before harvest. Before you spray →

Diseases

Cercospora leaf spot

D · 01

Symptoms The leaves get many small round spots, about an eighth of an inch wide, with a pale tan or gray center and a darker reddish-purple or brown ring around each one. They start on the older outer leaves and spread inward, and when there are lots of them the leaves brown and die. It spoils the leaves you want to eat.Numerous small round spots about an eighth of an inch across, each with a tan to gray center and a darker reddish-purple to brown margin, appear first on the older outer leaves and spread inward; when numerous they merge and the leaf withers. Because the crop is the leaf, even moderate spotting downgrades the harvest, and severe leaf loss reduces overall yield. Cause A fungus that lives on old chard and beet debris and on related weeds, and gets splashed onto the plant by rain or overhead watering. It loves warm, humid weather and wet leaves, so it is worst in warm, wet areas and rainy spells.The fungus Cercospora beticola, which survives on infected chard and beet debris and on related weeds and is splashed onto the leaves by rain and overhead irrigation. It is favored by warm, humid weather and prolonged leaf wetness, so it is most damaging in warm, wet regions and seasons, including the long southern harvest. Organic treatment You cannot cure leaves that are already spotted, only slow it down. Pick off and throw away the worst leaves, water at the soil in the morning so the leaves dry fast, and give plants room so air moves through. In a very wet year a copper fungicide labeled for vegetables can help if you start early.There is no cure for spotted tissue; management slows spread. Remove and destroy badly infected leaves, water at the base in the morning so foliage dries quickly, and thin or space plants for airflow. In a wet season a copper-based fungicide labeled for vegetables can suppress spread if started early, but cultural control carries most of the load. Prevention Do not grow chard (or beets and spinach) in the same spot two or three years running, clean up old leaves and debris where the fungus lives, water at the base instead of overhead, and give plants room so the leaves dry quickly.Rotate chard and its relatives (beet, spinach) out of the bed for two to three years, clear and destroy crop debris, avoid overhead watering, and space and thin for airflow. Choose tolerant varieties where the disease recurs.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Resistant varieties

If the spots show up in your garden year after year, look for a chard variety described as tolerant to leaf spot. It will not shut the disease out, but it holds up better through a warm, wet spell.Tolerant cultivars are worth seeking where the disease recurs. Tolerance moderates the loss rather than excluding infection, so it stacks with the cultural measures instead of replacing them.
Crop rotation

Give the bed a break of two or three years from chard and its relatives, beets and spinach, before you plant any of them there again. The fungus carries over on the leftovers of those crops.A two to three year break from chard, beet, and spinach in a given bed starves the residue-borne inoculum. Because the relatives share the pathogen, moving chard alone within a group of them accomplishes little.
Garden sanitation

Pick off the worst-spotted leaves and throw them out, starting with the older outer ones where the spots turn up first. Spotted leaves will not heal, so taking them off slows the march inward toward the leaves you want to eat. At the end of the season rake up and dispose of the old chard and beet leaves and debris, and pull related weeds nearby, since that is where the fungus lives between crops.Spotted tissue does not recover, so removing the heavily infected older outer leaves cuts the inoculum that moves inward; it slows progression rather than arresting it, and opens the canopy slightly at the same time. Cercospora beticola then survives the off-season on infected chard and beet residue and on related weed hosts, so destroying that debris removes the reservoir that supplies the following season's splash-borne spores.
Airflow and spacing

Give the plants room, and thin them if they are crowded, so air moves through and the leaves dry off quickly after rain. This fungus needs the leaves to stay wet to get started.Spacing and thinning shorten leaf wetness duration, the variable this pathogen responds to most under warm, humid conditions and through a long harvest window.
Water at the base

Water at the soil rather than over the top of the plants, and do it in the morning. Overhead water splashes spores up onto the leaves and then keeps them wet, which is what the fungus is waiting for.Rain and overhead irrigation are the splash-dispersal route from residue to leaf, so base watering removes both the dispersal event and an added wetness period; morning timing shortens whatever wetness does occur.
Copper fungicide

Through a genuinely wet season, a copper product carrying a vegetable label can slow it, though only when you begin before the spotting is widespread. It protects leaves that are still clean rather than curing the ones already marked.Copper acts as a protectant, so it suppresses spread only when applications begin ahead of heavy spotting. Confirm the product carries a vegetable label, and expect the cultural measures to carry most of the load regardless.

The bottom rungs are products with label rules: timing, pollinators, and days to wait before harvest. Before you spray →

Downy mildew

D · 02

Symptoms Pale yellow patches show on top of the leaves, with a grayish or purplish fuzzy growth underneath in damp weather. The young leaves in the center can be twisted, thick, and curled. It is worst in cool, wet weather and mainly hurts the leaves.Pale yellow, indistinct blotches on the upper leaf surface with a grayish to purplish downy growth on the corresponding undersides in damp weather; young central leaves are often distorted, thickened, and curled. It is most damaging in cool, wet conditions and chiefly disfigures the foliage. Cause A fungus-like water mold that infects in cool, wet weather and spreads in damp air and splashing water. It survives on old plant debris and on chard's relatives beets and spinach.The water mold Peronospora farinosa (P. betae), which infects in cool, moist conditions and survives on crop debris and related goosefoot hosts, spreading in moist air and splashing water. Chard shares it with beet and spinach. Organic treatment You cannot cure infected leaves, so pick off and throw away the worst ones and help the plants dry out by giving them room. Keeping the leaves dry does most of the work; a copper fungicide is a last resort in a very wet stretch.No cure for infected tissue; remove and destroy affected leaves to reduce spread and improve airflow and drying. Cultural control is the mainstay, with copper fungicides a last resort in a persistently wet season. Prevention Water at the soil instead of overhead, give plants room so air moves through, and stay out of the bed when the leaves are wet. Move chard away from where you grew chard, beets, or spinach, and pick a tolerant variety if it keeps showing up.Water at the base, space and thin for airflow, and avoid working among wet plants. Rotate away from chard, beet, and spinach, clear crop debris, and choose tolerant varieties where it recurs.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Crop rotation

Shift chard away from ground that just grew chard, beets, or spinach. All three catch this one, and it carries over on what gets left behind in the bed.Chard shares this water mold with beet and spinach, so rotation has to move away from the whole group. The pathogen persists on crop debris and on related goosefoot hosts between plantings.
Garden sanitation

Strip out the leaves that are furthest gone, the twisted, thickened ones in the middle of the plant included, and bin them. They will not come back from it, and taking them off leaves less there to spread. Clear old leaves and crop leftovers from the bed as well, and stay out of the planting while the leaves are still wet, since brushing past wet plants carries it from leaf to leaf.Infected tissue cannot be cured, so removing the yellow-blotched and distorted leaves reduces the sporulating surface on the undersides while opening the canopy for drying. Destroy the crop residue that carries the pathogen over, and keep out of the stand while foliage is wet, when spores move most readily on contact and splash.
Resistant varieties

If downy mildew keeps turning up in your garden, pick a chard variety listed as tolerant for the next sowing.Where it recurs, tolerant cultivars are the durable lever on a disease whose remaining controls all reduce to keeping foliage dry.
Airflow and spacing

Space the plants so air moves through the stand and the leaves can dry. Drying the foliage out is the bulk of the control here, more than anything you spray.Spacing and thinning shorten the moisture periods this pathogen infects during. Because it is favored by cool, wet conditions, drying the canopy is the primary control rather than a supporting one.
Water at the base

Water at the base of the plants instead of wetting the leaves. Splashing water moves it around, and leaves that stay damp let it in.Base irrigation removes both the splash dispersal and the added leaf wetness that infection depends on, which matters most through the cool, damp stretches when pressure peaks.
Copper fungicide

A copper fungicide is the last thing to reach for, and only in a stretch of weather so wet that nothing dries out. Keeping the leaves dry is still doing most of the work.Copper is a last resort for a persistently wet season. It supplements cultural control on this disease rather than substituting for it, since infection tracks leaf wetness more than inoculum load.

The bottom rungs are products with label rules: timing, pollinators, and days to wait before harvest. Before you spray →

Damping-off

D · 03

Symptoms Seeds that never come up, or tiny seedlings that flop over and die just after sprouting, with a dark, pinched, wet-looking spot on the stem right at the soil line. You see it as bare gaps in the row. Cool, soggy soil and the slow-sprouting chard seedball make it more likely.Poor stands from seed and pre- or post-emergence collapse of seedlings with a dark, water-soaked, pinched lesion at the stem base at the soil line, worst in cold, wet, poorly drained soil where the slow chard seedball prolongs the vulnerable window. Losses show as bare gaps in the row. Cause Soil organisms attack sprouting seeds and baby seedlings, especially when the soil is cold and soggy and the seeds are slow to come up. Chard sown in cold, wet ground is at risk.Soilborne Pythium and Rhizoctonia species that attack germinating seed and young seedlings, favored by cool, wet, poorly drained soil and overwatering; old or weak seed and a crusted seedbed increase losses. Organic treatment Seedlings that have flopped will not recover. If it shows up, stop watering for a bit and let the soil surface dry out some, and clear away the fallen seedlings. There is no good home cure once it starts, so this one is mostly about prevention.Affected seedlings cannot be saved. Stop watering and let the surface dry to slow the pathogens, and clear collapsed seedlings; there is no effective home cure once it takes hold, so prevention is the lever. Prevention Wait until the soil is warm enough and not cold and soggy, keep the seedbed damp without keeping it soaking, plant at the right depth in well-drained soil, and use fresh seed. Soaking the seedballs for a day before sowing helps them come up faster.Sow into warm-enough, well-drained soil rather than cold, wet ground, keep the seedbed evenly moist without saturating it, use fresh seed, and do not sow too deep. Soaking the seedball for a day speeds emergence and shortens the risk window.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Improve drainage

Sow into soil that drains well and has warmed up, not into cold, soggy ground. Cold wet soil is what lets these soil organisms get at the seed while it is still slow to sprout.Pythium and Rhizoctonia are favored by cold, wet, poorly drained soil, so improving drainage and holding off until the bed warms compresses the window in which germinating seed and stem base are exposed.
Sound sowing practice

Sow fresh seed at the depth it calls for and resist burying it deeper, and wait for the bed to warm before sowing. Soaking chard's corky seedballs in water for a day first gets them up faster, which cuts the time they spend at risk. Keep the seedbed just moist rather than wet, and if seedlings start flopping over, hold off watering and let the surface dry down a little.Old or weak seed and excessive sowing depth prolong emergence and therefore exposure, so seed quality, depth and soil warmth work together by compressing the susceptible window. A day's presoak of the seedball brings emergence forward in a crop whose seedball is slow to begin with. Overwatering is the other controllable driver: keep the bed evenly moist without saturating it, and once collapse begins, withholding water to dry the surface is the main lever left.
Garden sanitation

Clear out the seedlings that have already flopped, because they will not pick back up. There is no good home cure once this gets going, so everything above is where the real protection lives.Collapsed seedlings cannot be recovered, so pull them out. With no effective home treatment once the pathogens are active, this ladder is deliberately front-loaded into the sowing and moisture decisions above.

No spray for this one. Prevention is the control.

Root-knot nematode

D · 04

Symptoms The plants grow slowly and wilt in the heat of the day even when the soil is moist, and the leaves yellow and stay stunted. If you dig up a plant, the roots have small knots or swellings (galls) on them. It is worst in warm, sandy soils, which is why it matters most in places like Florida.Stunting, midday wilting despite adequate soil moisture, chlorosis, and reduced vigor aboveground, with characteristic root galls (knots) belowground. UF/IFAS notes chard is very susceptible. Damage is heaviest in warm, sandy soils and where host crops are grown repeatedly, so it is chiefly a southern and warm-region concern. Cause Tiny worms in the soil, too small to see, invade the roots and make the galls that block the plant from taking up water and food. They build up where chard or other host crops are grown over and over in warm soil.Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne species), microscopic soilborne roundworms that invade roots and induce galls that impair water and nutrient uptake; populations build under warm soil and continuous host cropping. Organic treatment There is no spray that cures an infected plant, so pull and destroy badly affected plants at the end of the season. The fix is for next time: rotate to a different bed, add lots of compost, and keep plants well watered to help them cope.No rescue for an infected plant; remove and destroy heavily galled plants. Management is preventive and cultural: build organic matter, keep plants watered to tolerate the stress, and break the host cycle for future crops. Prevention Rotate chard to a fresh spot, add plenty of organic matter, and avoid following other host crops in warm, sandy beds. In bad spots, plant in containers with fresh mix, or grow chard in the cooler months when nematodes are less active.Rotate with non-host or resistant crops, incorporate ample organic matter, avoid following susceptible hosts in warm sandy beds, and consider container culture with fresh mix or cool-season scheduling where nematodes are established.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Crop rotation

Root-knot nematodes are microscopic worms in the soil, and they build up where the same host crops are grown in warm ground season after season. Move chard to a fresh bed, and pick one that did not just carry another crop they feed on. Work plenty of compost and other organic matter in, and keep the plants watered so they cope better with the strain. Where a bed is badly infested, growing chard in containers of fresh mix, or growing it through the cooler months when the nematodes are less active, gets you around the problem.Rotate into non-host or resistant crops, and keep chard from following a susceptible host in a warm sandy bed, since populations build under continuous host cropping. Ample organic matter and steady moisture help the crop tolerate galling rather than reducing the population itself. Container culture in fresh mix and cool-season scheduling are the fallbacks where the nematodes are established, which matters because chard is reported as very susceptible.
Garden sanitation

At the end of the season, pull the badly affected plants with their roots and get rid of them instead of turning them back into the bed. No spray cures a plant once the roots are knotted, so clearing them out is the part you control.There is no rescue treatment for an infected plant, so lift and destroy heavily galled root systems at season end rather than incorporating them, which keeps galled tissue out of the bed you intend to plant next.

No spray for this one. Prevention is the control.

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