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Endive (Cichorium endivia) is a crisp, leafy green from the chicory family that thrives in cool seasons across hardiness zones 5 through 9. Ready to harvest in 40 to 49 days, this frost-tolerant annual produces tightly packed heads with broad, slightly twisted leaves and a creamy, well-blanched heart. The plant's bitter flavor profile, characteristic of its chicory lineage, becomes more pronounced in heat, making spring and fall the ideal growing windows. Whether you're drawn to the delicate frilly leaves of Frisee varieties or the quick-growing miniature French types, endive rewards gardeners who plant it at the right time of year.
Full Sun
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5-9
?in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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Endive's tightly packed heads reach 10 to 12 inches tall with leaves that can be blanched to create a mild, creamy center, offering both textural contrast and visual appeal on the plate. The plant's relatively short growing window means you can succession plant for continuous harvests through cool months. Catalog sources describe finely curled varieties with yellow-green coloring that add delicate beauty and body to salads, while the blanching technique gives gardeners control over the final flavor intensity. Cool-season timing is not just a preference but essential to the plant's success, as excessive heat triggers unwanted bitterness.
Endive serves primarily as a salad green, prized for its textural contrast and ability to add visual flair to mixed greens. The blanched heart becomes tender and mild enough to serve as a garnish or featured element in composed salads. Some gardeners harvest the finely curled leaves of Frisee varieties specifically for their decorative quality and delicate body, which lift and frame other salad components. The leaves can also be cooked down when younger, though the plant is most commonly appreciated raw for its crisp texture and distinctive bitter edge.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Plant seeds directly outdoors at a depth of 1/4 inch in cool-season conditions. Space seeds 6 inches apart, or thin seedlings to 6 inches apart after germination. Direct sowing works best in early spring or late summer when temperatures stay cool.
Harvest endive heads when they reach 10 to 12 inches tall and feel firm to gentle pressure, typically 40 to 49 days after sowing, though some sources indicate 50 to 89 days depending on variety. For the mildest flavor, harvest after blanching the heads by tying them with a rubber band for one to two weeks to pale the inner leaves. Cut the entire head at soil level with a sharp knife. Some gardeners harvest individual outer leaves as needed rather than cutting the whole head, which allows the plant to continue producing.
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