5. Fertilizer doesn’t need to be used unless you notice your chard is remaining small.
If it’s staying small, use a balanced fertilizer halfway through the season. That should make the leaves get bigger. When you harvest the leaves, always harvest the older ones. Chard does well with just soil, mulch, and tender loving care. You don’t need a bunch of products to grow chard.
Some people like to add everything they can find to grow vegetables and end up disappointed when the vegetable doesn’t grow. Sometimes the less you do, gives the best results. You don’t even need to use plant food unless you want to.
Plant food helps the roots to become strong. Sometimes the mulch and soil have plant food in it. It just depends on what brand you get. One brand is Miracle-Gro. If you can, buy all Miracle-Gro products, such as the soil and mulch.