When to Plant Silverbeet (Swiss Chard) in Perth, Mediterranean Guide
Sow year round in Perth. That includes right now, in October.
Grow Silverbeet in your space
Also called chard, Swiss chard.
- Planting window
- Year-round. Best planted in autumn to exploit winter rainfall. Summer with irrigation.
- Days to harvest
- 50 days
- Sunlight
- Full sun in cool climates. Part shade tolerated and beneficial in warm zones. Minimum 4 hours sun.
- Water needs
- Deep watering 2-3 times per week. Deep roots mean it handles short dry spells well once...
- Spacing
- 35cm apart, 45cm between rows
- Soil pH
- 6.0-7.5
Published · Last reviewed · By GardenBuddy.au
Growing advice is reviewed by hand. Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
This Silverbeet (Swiss Chard) guide is written for the Mediterranean zone, which takes in Perth, Adelaide and Bunbury. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Silverbeet (called Swiss chard elsewhere in the world) is arguably Australia's most reliable and productive leafy green. It grows in every Australian climate zone, tolerates heat and cold, produces for 8-12 months per planting, and is genuinely low-maintenance. Available in traditional white-stemmed forms and colourful rainbow varieties. A staple of Australian home gardens for generations.
See what grows now in your own postcode
Planting Calendar for Mediterranean
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D |
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
You can sow silverbeet (swiss chard) in any month in Mediterranean, but the months are not equal. Summer heat brings faster bolting and heavier pest pressure, so pick a heat tolerant variety, sow little and often, and give afternoon shade from December through February.
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Current Growing Conditions
Soil temperature: 15.6°C (optimal range: 10–30°C) ✓ Ready to plant
Modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Perth), not a live sensor.
What this month normally looks like
In October the Mediterranean zone normally runs 22°C by day and 10°C overnight, with about 38 mm of rain over 6 or 7 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was -0.2°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 19 postcodes, SILO.
How to Grow Silverbeet (Swiss Chard) in Mediterranean Australia
When to Plant
Year-round. Best planted in autumn to exploit winter rainfall. Summer with irrigation.
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained soil with plenty of compost. Deep roots (90-120cm) mean it benefits from deep soil preparation. Tolerates a range of soil types.
- pH Range
- 6.0-7.5
- Sunlight
- Full sun in cool climates. Part shade tolerated and beneficial in warm zones. Minimum 4 hours sun.
- Spacing
- 35cm apart, 45cm between rows
- Watering
- Deep watering 2-3 times per week. Deep roots mean it handles short dry spells well once established. Consistent moisture produces the most tender stalks.
Companion plants: Bean, Onion, Lettuce, Cabbage, Lavender
Avoid planting near: Corn (competes for nutrients), Potato
Grow before, grow after
Silverbeet belongs with the leafy greens, the leafy greens and brassicas turn of a four turn bed rotation.
- Grow before it
- Legumes (Beans - Dwarf, Peas, Broad Beans)
- Grow after it
- Fruiting crops (Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini)
Give the bed 3 turns before leafy greens go back in. Leaf crops want the nitrogen the legumes left behind.
Mediterranean Growing Tips for Silverbeet (Swiss Chard)
Recommended Varieties
- Fordhook Giant
- Rainbow Chard
- Rhubarb Chard
- Lucullus
Key Challenges
- Summer water restrictions
- Powdery mildew in dry weather
Pro Tips
- The ultimate low-effort leafy green for Perth and Adelaide
- Autumn planting grows through winter on rainfall alone
- One planting = one year of greens with minimal effort
Harvesting Silverbeet (Swiss Chard)
When ready: Leaves are 20-30cm long with firm, thick stems. Bright colour. Snap cleanly when bent. Harvest outer leaves first.
How to harvest: Cut or snap outer leaves at the base, leaving the central growing point and inner leaves. Always harvest from the outside in. Never cut the centre out.
Preserving: pressure canning
1 tested pressure-canning recipe for Silverbeet: 1 where it is the crop being canned. Each one comes from published home canning guidelines. The conversion to Australian units is ours, with psi beside every kPa. Always follow your pressure canner's manual.
Where to next
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Open the planting dashboard Join GardenBuddy.auCommon Questions About Silverbeet (Swiss Chard)
When do you plant silverbeet in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Mar to Jul
- Subtropical (Brisbane): all year
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Jan to Apr, Jul to Dec
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Jan to Apr, Jul to Dec
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Jan to Apr, Jul to Dec
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): all year
- Mediterranean (Perth): all year
Does silverbeet grow all year round in Perth?
Yes, every month is on the calendar for the Mediterranean zone, though not every month is equally easy. Year-round. Best planted in autumn to exploit winter rainfall. Summer with irrigation.
What else is silverbeet called?
Silverbeet is the usual Australian name. Overseas seed packets and recipes call it chard, Swiss chard. Same plant, same growing advice.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box under the heading and the page tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Mediterranean zone, Perth is its reference city.