Clio Italian Dandelion is a frost-hardy F1 hybrid that brings tender, uniform leaves to cool-season gardens across zones 3 through 10. Unlike the coarser wild dandelions you might know, this variety produces delicate greens ready to harvest in just 48 days from transplants, making it one of the quickest routes to tender, bitter-sweet leaves. Sow seeds in spring as early as the soil can be worked, and you'll have harvestable bunches by early summer; plant again in late summer for a fall crop that thrives as temperatures drop.
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3-10
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Moderate
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The 48-day turnaround from transplant to harvest sets Clio apart as a rapid producer of tender Italian dandelion leaves. This variety handles cold snaps down to 20°F with properly hardened transplants, giving it a genuine edge for spring and fall gardening. The leaves stay uniform and tender rather than tough, and the flavor balances genuine bitterness with subtle sweetness, making it approachable even for those new to chicory-family greens.
Italian dandelion leaves are harvested fresh for salads, cooked greens, or braised preparations. You can pick tender leaves at any stage of growth, from baby-leaf stage for milder flavor to larger leaves for more pronounced bitterness. As an edible that works raw or cooked, it bridges the gap between bitter chicory greens and familiar salad crops, offering flexibility in the kitchen.
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Sow seeds 3 to 4 weeks before your transplant date in flats or 3/4-inch plug trays. Barely cover seeds with fine vermiculite. Keep soil surface cool, ideally below 75°F, by shading flats on warm, sunny days if needed. Germination happens best between 60 and 68°F. Harden seedlings 2 to 3 days before transplanting outdoors by reducing water and temperature; properly hardened transplants will survive temperatures as low as 20°F.
Transplant hardened seedlings outdoors as early as soil can be worked in spring. Space 6 to 8 inches apart in a location with full sun. Cool-season crops like Italian dandelion perform best when transplanted into soil that's warming but still mild; late summer transplanting for fall harvest also works well.
Pick leaves at any stage of growth, from tender baby-leaf stage to full-size bunches. Ideally clip leaves before they reach 10 inches long to maintain tenderness. Continue harvesting by clipping outer leaves as the plant grows, and the bush form will continue producing. If you leave plants unharvested, they will eventually send up a flower stalk with characteristic blue chicory flowers, signaling the end of the productive leaf stage.
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