Catalogna Special Italian Dandelion is a compact, open-pollinated chicory grown for its tender, harvestable leaves ready in just 35 days. Hardy across zones 3 through 10, this variety thrives in cool-season growing and produces fresh greens perfect for cutting at 3 to 6 inches tall. Its frost-hardy nature means you can harvest well into autumn, and the plant regrows after cutting for multiple harvests from a single planting. The compact growth habit makes it equally at home in salad mixes or as a bunching green.
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From Johnny's Selected Seeds overstock, this Italian dandelion earns its place in the kitchen garden through speed and regrowth. You'll cut your first harvest in five weeks, then watch the plant bounce back for a second or third cutting within two weeks. The compact form keeps it tidy in tight spaces, while the frost-hardy constitution means you're harvesting fresh greens when most other crops have faded. Leaves reach their prime eating size at just 3 to 6 inches, making this perfect for gardeners who want frequent, successive harvests rather than a single bulk picking.
Catalogna Special excels in fresh salad mixes where its tender leaves add a subtle chicory character. It's equally at home bunched and cut for braising or sautéing, a preparation common in Italian kitchens. The young leaves work best harvested at 3 to 6 inches, when they retain tenderness and mild flavor before becoming more assertively bitter. Home gardeners often use it as a cool-season filler crop, rotating it in between slower-growing vegetables to keep the bed productive.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Sow seeds directly into prepared soil, spacing them about 6 to 8 inches apart. Plant in spring for early-summer harvest or in late summer for fall-winter cutting. Seeds germinate within 7 to 10 days at soil temperatures between 55 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Begin harvesting when leaves reach 3 to 6 inches in length, typically around 35 days after sowing. Use a sharp knife to cut about an inch above the soil, making sure to cut above the basal plate to allow for clean regrowth. This technique triggers a second flush of leaves, which will reach harvestable size again in 5 to 14 days depending on growing conditions. Repeat cutting as long as the plant remains vigorous, usually for two to three cycles before replanting.
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