Growing Chicory, also Witloof, Belgian endive

Cichorium intybus : Asteraceae / the daisy family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
                  P P  

(Best months for growing Chicory in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • P = Sow seed
  • Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 10°C and 20°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 25 - 30 cm apart
  • Harvest in 16-24 weeks. Will need forcing before final harvest.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Carrots, onions, Florence fennel, tomatoes.

Your comments and tips

23 Aug 17, Mario Skapin (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I bought the seeds from "ITALIAN GARDENER" they are situated in Adelaide, find it on google by the name, they are very obliging and helpful, and they have a mobile number on site that you can call. I bought Radicchio,Salad mix, Cicoria Zucherina di Trieste, witlof and other seeds from them. i am starting to do the final stage with witlof now hope it works. Cheers Mario
15 Aug 17, Mario Skapin (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
i planted about 40 seeds of witlof in the beginning of April and the leaves are between 400 and 600 mm high i understand that it should be around 5 months before forcing is done, i don't fully understand the term forcing or blanching what does it mean can someone please explain this to me and also what is the simplest way to do this final stage of witlof growth cycle. can it be done in the garden where they grow? my understanding is that the the complete witlof be taken from the ground and the leave cut off about 50mm from the root and the root to be cut to about 250mm and then replanted within 30mm of each other and covered to exclude daylight for about 12 weeks. does it need watering or fertilising while this last process takes place please help as i would almost cry if all this work to date is wasted Thank you Mario
17 Feb 18, Byndy (Australia - temperate climate)
This is THE most exhaustive how to website for knowing how to force witlofs that I have EVER seen... well done to this guy! https://sjefgardentips.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/24-growing-chicory-endive-belgian-endive-french-endive-witlof-witloof/
16 Aug 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Another gourmet delight born of a quirk of history is forced chicory. Like rhubarb, chicory can be ‘forced’ by removing mature roots to a warm, dark place in order to coax them into rapid and early growth. Why? Because what follows is a more tender, sweeter and altogether sumptuous experience than would otherwise be had. It’s a dark art, but a magnificent one!
21 Aug 17, Mario Skapin (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Thank you Mike will do a little more by reading different sites to get a broader look at it. Do you grow witlof yourself. i have eaten it and is truly delicious so i want to make sure it is all good. Thank you again
16 Aug 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Go to a website called growveg.com.au - tells about forcing chicory. Go to different websites and read about it and blanching. Sounds like you are on the right track with it. I wouldn't fertilise it and light watering maybe. Google it and read up. Good luck.
05 Feb 17, (Australia - temperate climate)
Would love to grow witlof /chicory where can I buy the seeds, I live in PE, thanks
06 Feb 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Eden Seeds have chicory seed. I'm not sure whether they are in far northern NSW or SEQld but you will find them on the internet.
18 Jan 17, Te Pi' (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Hi, I had red lettuce seeds now it appears I actually have some type of dark-red leaved chicory, its very bitter as a lettuce lol, would anyone be able to give me an idea of what variety this might be? Can Chicory and lettuce cross breed at all? Does anyone want some seeds to try out if they germinate etc after harvest?
20 Jan 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)
It appears your 'red lettuce' is aactually Radicchio which has a hot peppery taste. It is generally loved by Italians and there are many recipes on the internet for its use. If it is grown fast with less light it is likely to be les bitter. Sorry I can't help you more. Trust this helps.
Showing 21 - 30 of 65 comments

Hello Sylvia, I hope you were able to grow some witloof. In case you still need some advice, a brief discription for the growing of witloof. Please don't mind my bad writing and grammitcal errors. The growing of witloof happens in three main stages/phases. Phase one is the root growing process in the field. The seconde Phase is the growing of the crop/endive itself/ also called forcery (happens at home) and the last Phase is the growing of the seeds. The rootgrowing starts (in Belgium) early May with the sowing of the seeds in rows (distance between rows 20-25cm, distance between seeds 4-6cm). The soil must be prepared deep enough, fine, crumbly, airy and without weeds. After a few days/weeks , depending on the weather , the seed starts to germinate. You have to aim 25 plants per square meter. A little more if your soil is ritch on nitrogen. The only thing you have to do then is keeping the parcel weedfree and checking for diseases/fungi. In oktober/november, when the leaves start to turn Brown and before it starts to freeze, the roots are harvested. The leaves are cut about 3cm above the root and the root is shortened to 20cm. After the cleaning of the roots they are put to rest for a few days/weeks in a refrigarator with temp around 3°c. They van also be rested in a very dry environment. This way the plant reaches a resting state. After a few days /weeks the roots are moistened and embedded with 20 cm of covering soil 20cm (or without depending on the race of witloof). When embedded in a well in a shed or barn you have to cover them with a vaper permeabel cloth. If embedded in a welk in open air you lay an insulator (straw, dry leaves) before you cover it with a cloth. You will also need to cover it from rain. (Little shelter) From there on soil temperature, soil humidity and air temperature are very important. Traditional the farmer forces (forcery) the conditions to become idealy for the growth of the endives with heating and humidifiers. If the bottem temperature is high enough (between 10 to 20°c) you can try to grow endives without a heating system. Generaly in early spring you can use the natural warming of the earth to grow the endives. Typically it takes 21 days to grow the crops (normal conditions). Know that in winter (soil below 10°c) when using a heating/humidifiing system, you create a better and more constant envirenmont for the growth of endives, resulting in a better quality and taste. After the forcing you can select your best root/crop to collect seeds From. (Don't use hybrid races) You just keep it away From frost and comes spring you plant it in a field. It becomes a bush (1,5m) with lightblue flowers in august. Bee's do their magic and in september you can harvested and dry the seeds. I hope this helped you on your way a bit? Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or doubts. I'll try to answer them. Is witloof really that hard to find in SA and Australië? It's one of my "dreams" to try and cultivate traditional witloof in Australia but I really wouldn't know how and where to begin.. I hope you have a lot of fun farming. Greetings From Belgium, Willem Verbruggen

- Willem Verbruggen

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