RHS Growing Guides
How to grow chicory
Our detailed growing guide will help you with each step in successfully growing Chicory.
Getting Started
Renowned for its distinctively bitter leaves, chicory comes in three main types –
Radicchio forms a colourful, rounded head of leaves by late summer
The three main types of chicory grown for eating are:
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Forcing or Belgian chicory – grown for the crisp young leaf shoots, known as chicons, which are forced and blanched in winter to make them sweeter and less bitter. The most widely grown variety is ‘Witloof’
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Radicchio or red chicory – forms a tight head of usually deep red leaves with contrasting white veins, so is an attractive addition to the veg plot and the plate. Blanching isn’t necessary, as the inner leaves are protected from light, reducing their bitterness. The flavour becomes milder when the leaves are roasted or grilled
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Sugarloaf or non-forcing chicory – produces large, hearted heads of crisp, green leaves, resembling a tall Cos lettuce, for harvesting in autumn. The tight heads are self-blanching. As its name implies, it has a sweeter flavour than the other types
Radicchio and sugarloaf chicory can also be grown as cut-and-come-again leaves, harvested when young to add zing to mixed salads. They can be sown repeatedly in small batches for quick harvests almost all year round, if given protection in the colder months.
With self-blanching chicory, the inner leaves are paler, more tender and less bitter
Month by Month
Jobs to do now
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Choosing
Sugarloaf chicory has a sweeter flavour and resembles a large Cos lettuce
When choosing chicory varieties, look in particular for those with an RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), which shows they performed well in trials, so should crop reliably – see our list of AGM fruit and veg (135kB pdf) and our Recommended Varieties below. You can see many salad crops, such as chicory, growing in the veg plots at the RHS gardens, so do visit to see how they are grown, compare varieties and pick up useful tips.
What and where to buy
Chicory seeds are widely sold in garden centres and by online seed suppliers. Young plants may also be available in late spring from similar sources.
Recommended Varieties
Radicchio – develops an attractive red colour in cooler temperatures. Image © Shutterstock
Radicchio – medium to large heads and well-filled red hearts. Produces uniform plants.
Sugarloaf – medium to large plants with dark green outer leaves. The hearts blanch well.
Preparing the Ground
Chicory prefers an open, sunny site but will tolerate some shade in summer, so can be grown between taller crops. Prepare the soil ahead of sowing or planting by removing weeds and digging in plenty of garden compost or well-rotted manure. Ideally do this a few weeks before sowing or planting, to allow the ground to settle. Alternatively, if you're practising no-dig, mulch the soil ahead of sowing or planting directly into the mulch.
You can also grow chicory in a container at least 30cm (1ft) wide, filled with peat-free multi-purpose compost.
Sowing
When to sow
Avoid the temptation to sow chicory too early outdoors – cold spells can cause plants to bolt, producing flowers rather than leaves. Chicory for forcing can be sown outdoors in May and June. Sow non-forcing chicory indoors in April and May, and outdoors in June and July. For picking as cut-and-come-again salad leaves, sow non-forcing varieties outdoors in spring and summer, or in a greenhouse in late winter for early harvests and in late summer/early autumn for winter harvests.
Sow non-forcing chicory seeds indoors for quick and easy baby salad leaves
Sowing indoors
Sow chicory seeds in small pots, seed trays or modular trays filled with moist, peat-free seed compost, then keep in a warm, bright location, such as on a windowsill or in a heated propagator. Seedlings should appear in only a few days. Sowing indoors allows you to get a head start when conditions outside are still too cold, especially when growing chicory as baby salad leaves. It also keeps plants out of reach of slugs and snails until they’re larger and more robust. For more sowing tips, see our guides below.
Once the seedlings have several leaves, carefully move them into individual modules/pots. Then plant them outside once they’re growing strongly and the weather is warm enough – see Planting, below.
Sowing outdoors
Sow seeds thinly into prepared ground (see above), 1cm (½in) deep in rows 30cm (12in) apart. Take care to protect seedlings from slugs and snails. Thin out the seedlings as they grow, until forcing varieties are 15cm (6in) apart, non-forcing 30cm (1ft) apart, and those grown for baby salad leaves just 5cm (2in) apart.
Chicory can also be sown in large containers (at least 30cm/1ft wide) filled with peat-free multi-purpose compost, then thinned out to the spacings above.
Planting
Space raddichio types at least 30cm (1ft) apart, to allow room for the rounded head to form
Plant into prepared ground (see above) and water the plants thoroughly before and after planting. Space forcing varieties 15cm (6in) apart, non-forcing varieties 30cm (1ft) apart, and plants for baby salad leaves 5cm (2in) apart. Protect them from slugs and snails, especially in damp weather.
For harvesting in winter as cut-and-come-again salad leaves, you can plant non-forcing chicory (sown in late summer) in a greenhouse in autumn, either in a large container or a greenhouse border. See our video guide below.
Plant Care
Chicory is fast growing and relatively low maintenance, but do keep it well watered in summer. With forcing types, start the forcing process in late autumn, to produce crisp, blanched chicons through winter and early spring.
Mulching
Apply a thick layer of mulch, such as garden compost or well-rotted manure, around chicory plants once they are growing well, to help hold moisture in the soil and suppress weeds.
Feeding
Chicory doesn’t generally require feeding, but if you grow it in a container, apply a general-purpose liquid feed fortnightly through summer.
Forcing and blanching chicory
Plant dormant crowns of forcing chicory in a large container in late autumn
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Dig up forcing chicory plants in November, discarding any that are less than 2.5cm (1in) across at the crown. Cut back all the leaves to 2.5cm (1in) above the crown
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Pack the roots horizontally in sand in a cool shed until required
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Force a few roots at a time by planting vertically in a large pot of moist peat-free multi-purpose compost, leaving the crown exposed at the surface – about five should fit in a 25cm (10in) pot
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Cover the pot with black polythene (such as an old compost sack) or an upturned bucket or large pot with the drainage holes covered, and keep at 10–15°C (50–59°F). A cluster of pale yellow leaves (a chicon) will sprout from the crown
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Once the chicon is 15cm (6in) tall, harvest by cutting it at the base. If you leave the stump in place and cover the pot again, a second smaller chicon may form
Radicchio and sugarloaf chicory don’t usually need blanching (they are described as ‘self-blanching’), since the outer leaves of the head naturally blanch the inner ones. It’s the inner leaves that you eat, as they develop a less bitter flavour. However, you can aid the process by tying the outer leaves of near-mature heads loosely together with twine. Alternatively, you can cover the head with a bucket to exclude light.
Blanching usually takes a couple of weeks, but in cooler autumn weather it may take longer – when ready, the leaves should be pale and tender. The process is similar to blanching endive, a close relative of chicory. During blanching, check regularly for slugs and snails.
Harvesting
Forcing chicory
Forced chicons can be harvested in about four weeks, to enjoy raw or cooked
Non-forcing chicory
Radicchio and sugarloaf chicory form lettuce-like heads that are ready to harvest from late summer to mid-autumn. After cutting, leave the stump and it may re-sprout to provide a second, smaller head. Harvest before the first frosts or protect with cloches or plastic-free fleece. In the kitchen, discard the outer leaves, as they are usually tough and bitter. The blanched inner leaves have a sweeter tangy flavour, but if left exposed to light after harvesting, they will soon turn green and more bitter.
Radicchio often develops its rich red colouring from late summer onwards, as the days shorten and temperatures fall. Raw or cooked, it adds a splash of colour to many dishes and is widely used in Italian cuisine. When roasted or grilled, its flavour becomes milder. Sugarloaf chicory has a naturally sweeter flavour, but still with a bitter tang. Use it raw in salads or lightly cooked.
Chicory can also be harvested as baby salad leaves, especially sugarloaf varieties. The leaves grow quickly and take up little space, and you can start harvesting on a cut-and-come-again basis just a month or two after sowing. If sown regularly, you can have pickings for most of the year.
Problems
Protect chicory seedlings and plants from slugs and snails, and when forcing or blanching, check under the covering for them regularly too, as well as for any signs of rotting. Chicory also tends to bolt (start to flower and stop producing leaves) in hot or dry weather, so don’t let plants go short of water. Early sowings outdoors, when temperatures are still too low, can also lead to bolting. If plants do bolt, they produce attractive blue flowers and often self-seed, giving you a new generation of plants for free. For more on these and other issues, see Common problems, below.
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