Variety field guide
What to expect from Pink Lipstick
Pink Lipstick is a biennial swiss chard selection grown for repeated leaf and stem harvest, colorful beds, heat tolerance, and seed saving.
Read the complete product descriptionTraits, flavor, garden use, variety notes, and the full catalog record
Pink Lipstick Swiss Chard is a striking heirloom variety known for its vivid hot-pink stems and contrasting deep green, crinkled leaves that bring both beauty and productivity to the garden. This fast-growing leafy green offers a mild, slightly earthy flavor with tender leaves and crisp stems, making it ideal for fresh eating, sautéing, and continuous harvest. Highly productive and resilient, it thrives across a range of conditions while providing repeat cuttings throughout the season.
About Pink Lipstick
Pink Lipstick is a biennial selection of swiss chard, with an upright/erect habit and an expected height or spread of 19–24 in. It is best suited to repeated leaf and stem harvest, colorful beds, heat tolerance, and seed saving. Notable traits include pink coloring; harvest outer leaves while leaving the center to regrow; mild beet-like leaves with crisp edible stems.
When growing Pink Lipstick, judge the whole planting for trueness to type instead of selecting conclusions from one unusually large or early plant.
History and provenance
Beets and chard are cultivated forms of Beta vulgaris, selected from sea-beet relatives for enlarged roots, tender leaves, or colorful stalks. Root beet, mangel, sugar beet, and chard share a species-level crossing relationship, which matters when saving seed. Pink Lipstick Swiss Chard belongs to the species Beta vulgaris, a highly diverse and historically significant plant species that includes beets, sugar beets, and leafy chard types. The origins of this species trace back to wild sea beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima), native to coastal regions of the Mediterranean and parts of Western Europe. These early wild forms were hardy, salt-tolerant plants that gradually became domesticated through selection for larger leaves, improved flavor, and adaptability to cultivated environments. As agriculture developed in the Mediterranean Basin, early farmers began selecting Beta vulgaris for different purposes. Some lines were developed for enlarged roots (eventually becoming beets), while others were selected for abundant, tender leaves-leading to the development of what we now recognize as Swiss chard. Unlike root-focused beets, chard varieties were refined specifically for continuous leaf production, making them a valuable and renewable food source.
Growing facts
| Scientific name | Beta vulgaris L. Cicla Group |
|---|---|
| Life cycle | Biennial |
| Maturity | 50-59 Days |
| Germination | 5-10 Days at 50–65 °F |
| Seed depth | 1/2 in |
| Plant height / spread | 19–24 in |
| Growth habit | Upright/Erect |
| Spacing | 8 in between plants; 18 in between rows |
| Sunlight | Full - Partial Sun |
| Soil | Loamy; pH 6.0–6.5 |
| Water | Moderate |
| Support | No-Support |
Starting Pink Lipstick from seed
Sow 1/2 in deep and keep the seed zone evenly moist. Expect emergence in 5-10 Days when the seed-zone temperature is near 50–65 °F. Germination preparation: Direct sow into a prepared, weed-free seedbed; avoid disturbing developing roots or dense stands. Light requirement: Cover evenly to 1/2 in. Soaking: None required. Stratification: None required. Scarification: None required.
Planting and care
Plant during spring/Fall and provide full - partial sun. Space plants 8 in apart with 18 in between rows. Use loamy with a pH near 6.0–6.5, and follow a moderate watering plan. Support requirement: No-Support. Frost response: Semi-Hardy. Medium to large container or in-ground bed; avoid crowding
Harvest and use
Approximately 50-59 Days, from direct sowing to the first full-size leaf harvest. Weather, soil temperature, and planting method can shift the actual harvest date. Harvest: Harvest outer leaves while leaving the center to regrow. Uses: Repeated leaf and stem harvest, colorful beds, heat tolerance, and seed saving. Flavor: mild beet-like leaves with crisp edible stems. Seed saving: Wind-pollinated biennial. Best uses include repeated leaf and stem harvest, colorful beds, heat tolerance, and seed saving. Flavor and eating quality: mild beet-like leaves with crisp edible stems.
Saving seed
Select several healthy, true-to-type Pink Lipstick plants that match the expected upright/erect habit and overall plant form. Avoid saving seed only from the earliest or largest individual unless that is your deliberate selection goal. Pollination system: Wind-pollinated biennial. Crosses readily with compatible Beta vulgaris beets and chard. Separate compatible varieties that may flower together, or use cages, barriers, hand pollination, or another documented control appropriate to the crop. Pink Lipstick is a biennial. Seed production may require overwintering, vernalization, or more than one growing season, depending on climate and crop biology. Clean the seed carefully, dry it thoroughly away from direct heat, label the lot with variety and year, and store it cool, dark, and dry. Test germination before an important planting or distribution season.
Common problems
Common concerns: Leaf miners, aphids, flea beetles, damping-off, Cercospora or other leaf spots, and root problems in waterlogged soil. Management: Rotate crop families, remove badly affected leaves, improve airflow, and keep the root zone moist but not saturated. Diagnosis note: Similar symptoms can have different causes. Compare plants of the same age, record weather and irrigation, and use local Extension or diagnostic support before applying a control.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions - Pink Lipstick
When is Pink Lipstick ready? Use 50-59 Days. Approximately 50-59 Days, from direct sowing to the first full-size leaf harvest. Weather, soil temperature, and planting method can shift the actual harvest date.
How long does germination take? Expect 5-10 Days at about 50–65 °F. Cooler, hotter, crusted, saturated, or dry seedbeds can slow emergence.
How large does it grow? Expect about 19–24 in with an upright/erect habit. Space plants 8 in apart and rows 18 in apart. Support: No-Support.
Can it grow in a container? Medium to large container or in-ground bed; avoid crowding Use a container with drainage and enough volume to maintain the listed spacing and steady moisture.
Can I save seed? Wind-pollinated biennial. Keep compatible varieties isolated and allow selected plants to reach full seed maturity.
