Its bolting isn’t it?

A while ago when I wrote on Silver beet and Chard a reader commented that her plants last for a couple of years.  I took this as a challenge and was determined to get a plant to be productive for at least 18 months.  Previously I found the plants always bolted in Spring and never recovered sufficiently to be productive after that.  Now this “perpetual spinach” (a variety of Silver Beet/Chard) plant is only 7 months old – a baby really and already it looks like its starting to bolt.

I will cut out the centre stalk and see what happens but frankly I’m not impressed….a little bit of warmth last week, it thinks Spring has come early and starts to think about procreation.  Oh dear!