{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "record_type": "plant",
  "slug": "swiss-chard",
  "common_name": "Swiss chard",
  "botanical_name": "Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris",
  "family": "Amaranthaceae",
  "summary": "Swiss chard is a productive leafy crop with edible stems that supplies repeated harvests through heat and light frost when moisture remains steady.",
  "categories": [
    "leafy vegetable",
    "cool-season crop",
    "container crop"
  ],
  "growth_habits": [
    "rosette",
    "cut-and-come-again"
  ],
  "lifecycle": "Biennial, usually grown as an annual",
  "difficulty": "Easy",
  "requirements": {
    "light": {
      "minimum_direct_sun_hours": 4,
      "preferred_direct_sun_hours": 6
    },
    "soil_ph": {
      "minimum": 6.0,
      "maximum": 7.0
    },
    "container": {
      "minimum_volume_litres": 10,
      "minimum_diameter_cm": 30,
      "plants_per_container": 1
    },
    "spacing": {
      "minimum_cm": 20,
      "maximum_cm": 40
    },
    "planting_out": {
      "minimum_reliable_temperature_c": 5,
      "frost_tolerant": true,
      "label": "Sow or plant",
      "note": "Established plants tolerate light frost; protect for winter leaf quality"
    },
    "harvest": {
      "typical_uk_months": [
        "May",
        "November"
      ]
    }
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "rhs-growing-chard",
      "publisher": "Royal Horticultural Society",
      "url": "https://www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables/chard/grow-your-own?type=v",
      "supports": [
        "types",
        "sowing",
        "spacing",
        "containers",
        "overwintering",
        "harvest"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "umn-growing-spinach-chard",
      "publisher": "University of Minnesota Extension",
      "url": "https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-spinach-and-swiss-chard",
      "supports": [
        "light",
        "soil_ph",
        "sowing",
        "watering",
        "pests",
        "harvest"
      ]
    }
  ]
}