Lucullus Swiss Chard

Megan and I planted our Swiss Chard seeds in three pots, roughly 12-inches in diameter, on April 14th. On April 15th, we planted some seeds in an empty patch of our little herb garden that we've been growing for a few years. They germinated within two weeks approximately, but seemed to be growing very slowly for some time. Recently they've sped up a lot, and we're almost in shock to see how the new leaves are constantly developing.

Apparently Lucullus Swiss Chard is quite an old variety from the Ancient world and has been named to commemorate Lucius Licinius Lucullus, who was a late-Roman politician of a higher class (Optimate) and also a builder of the Gardens of Lucullus (horti Lucullani). These gardens were later owned by Felicie della Rovere, otherwise known as Pope Julius II, which I think is kind of neat, because we've been loving the Showtime series, The Borgias, and della Rovere plays a pretty important part in it.

Well, getting back to the Swiss Chard itself, it happens to be a very prolific producer and can produce well throughout the entire season. It typically takes up to 55 days before you can harvest it, so considering we planted it about 41 days ago, we should be able to eat some soon. I'm so excited, because I've heard that the Swiss Chard one grows themselves tastes much better than the store-bought one. Stay tuned for more pictures, and recipes when the time comes! :)

Jennifer