Rainbow stems and crinkled green leaves make this chard a two-for-one: eat it young in salads or let it mature for cooking greens that actually look good on the plate. Sow it in cool weather here, either in fall for winter harvest or early spring for a long picking season before heat shuts it down.

Full sun, ordinary soil, consistent water. Space plants eight inches apart and start harvesting the outer stems when they're finger-thick. You'll get weeks of tender leaves without breaking a sweat.