Very amateur gardener here in Southern California.
1. Our chard is wimpy and small despite that we planted it a couple of months ago. It’s about 6 inches and that’s it.
Should we eat it and move on with life?
2. I know four leaf clovers are supposed to be rare, but we have a patch of oxalis in our yard that has produced a whole lot of four-6 leaf clovers, and one eight leaf. (Yes, these are weeds, not intentional plantings).
3. At least the onions are following directions.
God bless all of you who grow things. I hope to follow your garden path....
I have zero experience with Chard. I’d probably be inclined to eat it, and add some compost to the soil, and plant something else.
Sound like the chard has done all it’s going to. Add compost and/or organic matter.
I used to follow the tree trimmers to the dump, and load up the trailer with the leafy shreddings—they couldn’t let me have them, but told me to follow them. That, plus manure from some of the local farms & activated sludge (no longer recommended) gave us a fantastically productive garden near Riverside.
When we lived in SoCal, about 40 years ago, we had a lot of oxalis in the yard, too. It is actually pretty tasty.
http://www.ediblewildfood.com/wood-sorrel.aspx
Edible parts: Wood sorrel is an incredible thirst quencher and is refreshing to eat. The leaves, flowers, and immature green seed pods are all edible having a mild sour flavour that some say resemble lemons. Wood sorrel can be added to salads, used in soups, sauces and it can also be used as a seasoning. Wood sorrel tea when cooled can make a refreshing beverage especially when sweetened with honey. In moderate dosages, wood sorrel is cooling (refrigerant, febrifuge), diuretic, stomachic (soothing to the stomach, relieves indigestion), astringent, and catalytic.
Other name: Oxalis.
Could it be that it is getting too hot already? My Swiss chard does really well with the reasonable temperatures, but when it gets above 85 it seems to quit growing. Have you gotten that hot already?
If you cut the leaves off, that might encourage her to keep growing. it Does replenish itself well.