Perseo is an extra-early Chioggia radicchio that brings speed and reliability to cool-season gardens across hardiness zones 3 through 10. This compact, open-pollinated variety reaches harvest in just 55 days, making it one of the quickest routes to tender, burgundy heads. Unlike older radicchio types that demand perfect conditions, Perseo was bred specifically for North American production, offering gardeners a more predictable crop while maintaining the distinctive bitter-sweet character radicchio lovers seek.
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3-10
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Moderate
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Perseo cuts weeks off the typical radicchio timeline without sacrificing the dramatic deep red coloring or compact growth that makes this variety so satisfying to harvest. As an extra-early type, it thrives in the cool shoulder seasons when many other crops are winding down, and its hardiness to frost means you can plant early in spring and stretch harvests well into fall. The tight, uniform heads develop quickly enough that succession planting becomes genuinely practical, letting you time multiple harvests across the season rather than gambling on a single planting.
Radicchio heads are harvested and used primarily as a bitter salad green, either served raw in mixed greens or grilled whole to soften the bite and develop sweetness. The deeply colored leaves add visual drama and a distinctive peppery, slightly bitter flavor to composed salads, and their firm texture holds up well to cooking applications.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Sow seeds indoors in flats at a rate of 4 seeds per inch, or use 3/4-inch plug trays, barely covering seeds with fine vermiculite. Start 3 to 4 weeks before your planned transplant date. Keep soil temperature below 75°F during germination by shading flats on warm days if necessary. About 2 weeks after germination, thin or transplant seedlings to 1 to 2 inches apart in flats, pots, or cell-type containers. Before transplanting outdoors, harden seedlings by reducing water and temperature for 2 to 3 days.
Transplant hardened seedlings outdoors as soon as soil can be worked in spring, or in midsummer for fall harvest. Space plants 6 inches apart with 18 inches between rows. Properly hardened transplants can tolerate light frosts, so frost-tender seedlings are not a concern with this variety.
Harvest heads at 55 days from transplanting when they reach full size and develop the characteristic deep burgundy color. Cut heads at the base with a sharp knife. As an extra-early variety, Perseo tends to produce uniform, compact heads suitable for single harvests rather than cut-and-come-again use.
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