How to grow endive and escarole from seed: avoiding heat dormancy, transplants or direct sowing, spacing, succession planting, blanching methods and harvest.
By Hensley’s Seed Co.
Chicory: Endive & Escarole - Key Growing Information
SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Cichorium endivia
CULTURE:
Endive and escarole are cold-hardy and can go in as soon as the ground can be worked. They are cool-season crops that grow best at 60–65°F (15.5–18.3°C), so choose varieties carefully for hot-weather plantings. For baby-leaf growing, see the Baby Leaf Chicory page.
THERMAL DORMANCY:
Seed can go into thermal dormancy if it is exposed to temperatures above 77°F (25°C). It germinates best with the soil at 60–68°F (15.5–20°C).
DAYS TO MATURITY:
Counted from transplanting; allow 14–21 more days when direct sowing.
TRANSPLANTING (RECOMMENDED):
About 3–4 weeks before planting out, sow in flatsat 4 seeds per inch, or in ¾" plug trays, covering the seed only barely with fine vermiculite. On warm, sunny days, shade the flats if needed so the soil surface stays under 75°F (24°C) until seedlings emerge. If you started in open flats, prick seedlings out about 2 weeks later, 1–2" apart in flats, pots or cells. Harden them off for 2–3 days by cutting back water and temperature before planting out; well-hardened transplants can withstand temperatures as low as 20°F (-6°C). Planting at a close 8–10" spacing encourages these varieties to self-blanch.
DIRECT SEEDING:
Plant 6 seeds per foot in rows 12–18" apart, cover about 1/8" deep, and firm the soil gently. Water dry soil to keep it cool and moist for even germination. Thin seedlings to 8" apart as soon as you can handle them.
AVG. SEEDING RATE:
At 6 seeds per foot in rows 18" apart: 1,000 seeds sow about 160', 5,000 about 830', 25,000 about 4,150'; plan on roughly 175,000 seeds per acre.
SUCCESSION PLANTING:
Plant every 3 weeks for a steady supply.
BLANCHING:
The varieties we carry self-blanch, usually late in their development. For an earlier or more complete white to cream heart, try the French method: about 3 days before harvest, set a 4–6" cardboard disk or plate in the center of each plant, or tie the outer leaves together, to shut out light. Blanching caps are another option; because they are a fixed size, space plants at least as far apart as the caps are wide. NOTE: these blanching methods are meant for endive and escarole only and aren't recommended for other kinds of chicory.
HARVEST:
Cut the whole head with a knife just above where it joins the root. Chill quickly in cold water, drain, and refrigerate.
TRANSPLANTS:
About 500 transplants per 1,000 seeds (2 seeds per cell, thinned to one).
SEEDS/OZ.:
14,000–22,400 (average 18,000).
PACKET:
200 seeds per packet, enough for about 33' of full-size heads.
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