Rainbow chard seed "Bright Lights" (Hatfield AL10)

Unopened, in-date (recent magazine freebie).

Chard is probably the easiest to grow of the many "use-like-spinach" substitutes. Contrasting colours make it look very pretty on the veg plot and can even be grown as an ornamental.

Superficially can look like rhubarb with its giant leaves and thick fleshy stems, but unlike rhubarb, all parts of the plant are edible raw or cooked and chard is very good for you.

Compared to spinach, it's quicker and stronger growing and relatively less attacked by pigeons, slugs and snails (which hopefully are less of a problem this year anyway). Produces leaves for a much much longer time than spinach. Often comes through a winter to produce a crop the next spring.

Doesn't have that gritty texture of spinach. Closely related to beetroot, so does have that beetroot taste which you may love or hate. In fact it will produce huge thick fleshy roots which are theoretically edible as beetroot, but are probably way too tough to do that.

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