A cold-hardy perennial grown as an annual for its bitter, nutritious leaves, roots, or forced pale chicons (compact, blanched shoots produced by excluding light from the root).
Cichorium intybus · also called radicchio, Belgian endive
Windows are counted from the average date of your last spring frost.
Chicory tolerates poor soils and hard frost that would kill most salad crops, and its deep taproot improves compacted beds. Forcing roots indoors in winter extends the fresh-vegetable season when little else is growing.
A little history. Native to Europe and western Asia; the species has been cultivated since at least ancient Egypt according to botanical records. The taproot stores carbohydrates that convert to a soluble fiber called inulin, which gives the root its characteristic slightly sweet, slightly bitter flavor.
Sow seeds ¼ inch (6 mm) deep, and aim for 9 inches (25 cm) between plants once thinned. Sow seeds ¼ inch deep; keep the seedbed evenly moist until sprouts show — seeds need light and will fail in crusted or waterlogged soil. Seedlings emerge in 7–14 days.
Water deeply once or twice a week; reduce once plants are established and roots are deep. Water when the top 2 inches of soil feel dry to the touch. Aim for about 1 inch per week including rain.
Side-dress (scatter fertilizer along the row and water in) once at 4 weeks after germination; avoid heavy feeding after that. What to use: balanced 5–5-5 organic or compost; excess nitrogen produces lush leaves but weak, poorly storing roots.
Pinch out any flower stalks as soon as they appear to keep energy in the leaves or root. For radicchio, cut the plant back to 1 inch above the crown after the first hard frost — a compact, colored head will resprout from the stump.
It's ready when leaf types: harvest outer leaves once they reach 6–8 inches. Radicchio: heads are firm and fully colored (deep red or variegated). Roots for forcing: 18–20 inches tall, roots at least 1 inch across at the crown. Leaves: cut outer leaves with scissors 1 inch above the base, leaving the growing point intact. Whole heads: cut at soil level with a sharp knife. Roots for forcing: dig carefully with a fork to avoid breaking the taproot.
Fresh leaves: refrigerate unwashed in a damp cloth for up to 5 days. Roots for forcing: trim tops to 1 inch, store upright in barely moist sand in a cool dark place (35–45 °F (2–7 °C)) for up to 3 months.
Sow a second batch 3–4 weeks after the first for a staggered leaf harvest; a late-summer sowing provides roots for winter forcing.
Established roots survive in the ground through winter in most temperate climates. Mulch crowns with 3–4 inches of straw once the ground cools to extend the harvest window and protect against repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
Carrot
Gardeners have long paired these two, and the shared logic is practical rather than proven: both want the same deep, stone-free, loosely dug soil and neither is a heavy feeder. Give each its own row so the taproots are not competing for the same water.
Radish
Radishes feed in the top few inches and are pulled in about a month, while chicory is still driving its taproot down past 12 inches. Sowing them between chicory rows can use the space before the rosettes close over it.
Lettuce
Lettuce roots stay shallow and chicory's taproot draws from deeper soil, so the two can often share a cool-season bed without fighting for water. Both are in the same plant family, so watch for downy mildew and space generously.
Tomato
A staked tomato row on the west side can throw afternoon shade over chicory once days pass 85F, which often slows bolting (the shift from leaf growth to flowering) and keeps the leaves less harshly bitter.
Sunflower
Sunflower roots and fallen seed hulls release substances that can stunt nearby salad greens, and the tall stems add heavy shade and greedy competition for water. Keep chicory several feet away, or plant it where last year's sunflowers did not stand.
Fennel
Fennel roots release substances that reliably stunt most garden vegetables, chicory included. Grown well apart in its own corner it still earns space, because the flat yellow flower heads feed hoverflies and tiny parasitic wasps that hunt aphids.
Give the lettuce family 2 years away from this spot before any of its relatives return.
The pea and bean family, the cabbage family or the tomato family thrive in this ground next season.
Chicory is a light feeder that leaves the bed with deep root channels in compacted soil and little else removed. Keep it and other lettuce-family crops out of the same ground for 2 years, then follow with legumes, brassicas, or nightshades, which all use the loosened depth well.
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