Chicory and radicchio Seeds
Growing suggestions for chicory seeds
Sow chicory seeds mid-June to mid-July in situ; space rows 30cm apart. Thin out to about 30cm. Or sow in modules/ trays and transplant to get best results.
Cut heads from late summer until December depending on the variety; protect plants when overwintered outdoors.
Chicory growing calendar
| Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow | ||||||||||||
| Transplant | ||||||||||||
| Harvest |
Crop facts
Chicory developed from a common wild plant of Europe, western Asia, and Africa. It was known to the Romans who ate it as a vegetable or in salads, however modern cultivation of the plant began in the fifteenth century in Italy. On the Continent, Chicory is much cultivated, not only as a salad and vegetable, but also for fodder and more especially for the sake of its root, which roasted and ground, gets made into a coffee alternative.
Showing all 8 results
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Chicory – Pain De Sucre (Organic)
£1.60 Read moreChicory – Pain De Sucre (Organic)
Mild tasting green leaves that form dense, conical heads; alternative to winter lettuce.. This is a more mild tasting chicory that is a superb substitute for lettuce in the winter. Indeed, this is a common practice in several rural parts of France and no doubt elsewhere, too. It can produce very large heads, with a tender green exterior and golden yellow hearts that have a real sweetness to them, hence the name!
(Approximate seed count – 500)
£1.60 -
Chicory – Radicchio Treviso Early (SM4.10) (Organic)
£2.20 – £6.72 Add to basket This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageChicory – Radicchio Treviso Early (SM4.10) (Organic)
A mid-early Treviso-type radicchio ideal for both salads and cooking (similar in growth cycle to 206TT). Treviso is one of the main centres of radicchio production in Italy.
This variety produces dense elongated heads, of striking deep red and white appearance which can be harvested from autumn.
The leaves make a wonderful addition to raw salads as they are sweeter than some red headed radicchio types. The heads are equally tasty grilled or sautéed as is commonplace in Italy.
£2.20 – £6.72 -
Chicory – Radicchio Castelfranco (SM4.18) (Organic)
£2.50 – £8.40 Add to basket This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageChicory – Radicchio Castelfranco (SM4.18) (Organic)
Stunning extra early radicchio best suited for raw salads.
Castelfranco radicchio varieties are considered the queen of salad leaves. Their exquisite beauty will add something very special to your salad bowl, and their flavour is much sweeter than other radicchio types.
The plants begin with broad open green leaves, developing a central head as they mature. The inner leaves take on a pale yellow colour with beautiful burgundy speckles.
Sometimes know as “Tulip of Winter” as the heads are opened up to display their full glory in the produce markets of Italy.
£2.50 – £8.40 -
Chicory – Radicchio ‘506 TT’ (Organic)
£2.45 – £5.50 Add to basket This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageChicory – Radicchio ‘506 TT’ (Organic)
Fantastic modern Palla Rossa type radicchio forming large round heads.
This is a wonderful new Radicchio variety much celebrated by market gardeners due to the high consistency of its heads which can be harvested from September until December. The leaves can be eaten raw as a delicious addition to winter salads, or they can be sliced and baked with olive oil and balsamic. (Other recipes are available too)
(Approximate seed count – 150)
£2.45 – £5.50 -
Chicory – Catalogna Gigante di Chioggia (SM4.32) (Organic)
£2.20 Add to basketChicory – Catalogna Gigante di Chioggia (SM4.32) (Organic)
Leaf chicory best used as a delicious sautéing green. Catalogna Gigante di Chioggia – also known as dandelion greens – is an open leaf chicory type which is similar to wild chicory.
The leaves make some of the best sautéing greens around, sweet with a slight bitter edge. They can be blanched in salty water to remove some of the bitterness if desired. Drain and fry up with garlic and chilli for a truly delicious side dish.
More forgiving to grow than some other chicory/radicchio types.
(Approximate seed count – 100)£2.20 -
Chicory – Puntarelle (SM4.33) (Organic)
£2.70 – £8.40 Add to basket This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageChicory – Puntarelle (SM4.33) (Organic)
An interesting chicory variety grown for its hollow bolting shoots.
Unlike other chicory varieties which are grown for their leaves, Puntarelle is grown for its flowering shoots. The young shoots form a ‘head’ at the base of plant and are julienned into thin strips which are then soaked in cold water to removed some of their bitterness. In the water they twist and curl into elegant crisp and crunchy shapes which are then served with a punchy dressing to make a lovely late autumn salad.
Shoots usually appear between mid-October and November.
£2.70 – £8.40 -
Chicory – Radicchio Treviso Late (SM4.75 – Forcing) (Organic)
£2.50 Add to basketChicory – Radicchio Treviso Late (SM4.75 – Forcing) (Organic)
A forcing chicory from Treviso for delicious winter eating. This variety of chicory has been bred for forcing through the winter months (Tardivo means late in Italian), and produces totally delicious ‘chicons’
To force chicory the plants should be left untouched in the field until winter time. When you wish to force them, pull up however many plants you need and replant the roots into a moist medium such as sand or spent compost. The plants then need to kept in total darkness for a few weeks and then beautiful chicons will grow from the roots.
They are generally eaten cooked in pastas and other dishes and were the first Italian vegetable to gain IGP, a European protected status for special food products specific to a place of origin.
(Approximate seed count – 100)£2.50 -
Chicory – Radicchio Rosa ‘Jolanda’ (Organic)
£2.20 Add to basketChicory – Radicchio Rosa ‘Jolanda’ (Organic)
A beautiful and early salmon-pink radicchio variety forming loose heads from October. This one is a real show-stopper! A really unique radicchio making the most exquisitely pink leaves unlike no other leafy veg we have grown before.
‘Jolanda’ is an early selection of Rosa (which often tends to be a later-cropping type) so it’s much better suited to the UK climate.
Bred by our friends and plant breeding wizards at Smarties.bio in Italy. (Approximate seed count – 100)
£2.20
Showing all 8 results