How do I force chicory for winter chicons?

The Belgian witloof tradition. Sow Witloof Zoom or similar forcing variety in late May. Let the plants develop tap roots through summer. In late October–November, lift the roots; trim leaves to 2 cm, trim root to 15–20 cm. Pack roots upright in a bucket of moist sand/compost, just the crowns showing. Cover completely with a black bin or thick black plastic to exclude all light. Keep at 10–15°C for 3–5 weeks. The pale chicons (tight 12–15 cm spears) form; snap off at the base. Second chicons may follow on remaining root.

What's the difference between chicory and endive?

Same family, different species, different uses. Chicory (Cichorium intybus): hardy perennial (annual in cultivation), upright growth, bitter flavour, three main types — forcing/witloof, heading/radicchio, leaf/sugarloaf. Endive (Cichorium endivia — see separate endive slug): hardy annual, flat or curly rosette growth, milder bitterness, autumn salad crop. Endive's two types are curly (frisée) and flat-leaved (escarole). Both are bitter salad greens but chicory tends to be sharper and more often cooked.

Why is my chicory so bitter?

Bitterness is the point of chicory. All chicory is bitter to some degree — that's why it's used as a counter-flavour to sweet, rich, fatty ingredients. To reduce bitterness: (1) Blanching — grow under dark cover (the witloof forcing method) for the mildest leaves. (2) Cooking — braising reduces bitterness significantly. (3) Choose mild varieties — Pan di Zucchero (sugarloaf) is the mildest. (4) Pair with sweet/rich flavours — orange, honey, butter, cheese, walnuts cut through the bitterness.

When do I harvest chicory?

Depends on type. Forcing chicory: harvest the roots in late October–November, then force indoors over winter for chicons in January–March. Heading chicory (radicchio): cut whole heads from late September onwards when firm and tight. Leaf chicory (sugarloaf, asparagus): cut-and-come-again from 6 weeks after sowing, or harvest whole heads at maturity. Asparagus chicory (Catalogna): cook the young flower stems as well as the leaves.

What's the best chicory variety for the UK?

For a first chicory experience: Palla Rossa radicchio — rose-coloured cabbage-like heads in autumn, dramatic visual return, classic Italian salad use. For Belgian witloof tradition: Witloof Zoom — bred for forcing chicons. For milder eating: Pan di Zucchero (sugarloaf) — large pale heads with less bitterness than red types. For something different: Treviso — elongated burgundy-red leaves, beautiful in autumn salads.

Can I grow chicory in a pot?

Possible but not optimal. Chicory has a deep taproot and wants 30+ cm of root space. Pot chicory: use a 30 cm pot, choose leaf or heading types (forcing chicory needs proper-sized roots for chicons). Water consistently. Pot heading chicory makes smaller heads than ground-grown but works for small gardens. For forcing: pot culture isn't ideal — the roots don't bulk up enough for substantial chicons. Better in the ground for that traditional Belgian winter crop.

Chicory — Grow

Chicory

Cichorium intybus

vegetable

About

Sow chicory direct from May to July, in sun in well-drained soil — it's a hardy perennial (RHS H7) grown as an annual or for autumn-lifted roots that are forced indoors over winter to produce pale tender "chicons" of bitter-sweet leaves. Three main types serve different uses: forcing chicory (lift roots in November, force indoors for white chicons in January–March — the Belgian witloof tradition); heading chicory / radicchio (red Italian types like Palla Rossa that head up like cabbage in autumn); and leaf chicory (sugarloaf and asparagus types cropped for whole heads or cut-and-come-again leaves). All three share a slightly bitter flavour that's a love-it-or-hate-it characteristic — milder when blanched (the forcing technique), full-strength when grown to full size and colour. Snail-magnet outdoors — protect young plants.

How to grow chicory

1
Pick the type that matches your use
Forcing chicory (witloof, Belgian endive): root-forming type sown for autumn-lifted roots that are forced indoors over winter for blanched white chicons in January–March. Classic dish: braised chicons with ham. Variety: Witloof Zoom. Heading chicory / radicchio: cabbage-like heads in red-and-white or solid red in autumn. Varieties: Palla Rossa (rose-coloured), Treviso (elongated red), Chioggia (round red). Leaf / sugarloaf chicory: less bitter, cropped for whole loose heads or cut-and-come-again leaves. Varieties: Pan di Zucchero (sugarloaf, mild), Catalogna (asparagus chicory, eaten as cooked greens). For a first chicory: Palla Rossa heading type — most rewarding visual return.
2
Sow direct, May to July
Late-spring to early-summer sowing. Earlier sowings bolt; later sowings don't size up before winter. Direct-sow in shallow drills 1 cm deep, 30 cm between rows. Germination in 7–14 days. Forcing chicory: sow in late May–early June for autumn root harvest. Heading chicory: sow in June–July for autumn heads. Leaf chicory: sow successionally May–August for continuous cropping.
3
Thin to type-specific spacing
Forcing types: thin to 15 cm — fat single tap roots are the goal. Heading types: thin to 25–30 cm — needs space to form a tight cabbage-like head. Leaf types: thin to 15–20 cm or grow as a thicker cut-and-come-again row.
4
Water consistently in dry spells
Chicory bolts to flower in drought stress, and heading types fail to form proper heads in dry conditions. Weekly deep watering in summer dry spells. Mulch with garden compost to conserve moisture. Heading chicory needs consistent moisture from sowing through to autumn maturity.
5
Force witloof roots from November
The Belgian classic. In late October–November, lift fully-grown chicory roots from the bed. Trim the leaves down to 2–3 cm above the crown and trim the root to 15–20 cm long. Pack roots upright in a bucket or box of moist sand or compost, with just the crowns showing. Cover completely with a black bin to exclude all light (essential for blanching). Keep at 10–15°C in a shed, cellar, or unheated greenhouse. Chicons form in 3–5 weeks: tight pale yellow-white spear-shapes 12–15 cm long. Snap chicons off at the base; replace cover; second chicons may form a few weeks later.
6
Harvest heading chicory in autumn
Palla Rossa and other heading types: from late September onwards, cut whole heads when they feel firm and tight (like a small loose cabbage). The colour intensifies in cold weather — heads sown for autumn become more deeply red after a few light frosts. Some types overwinter outdoors for spring cropping in southern UK; in cold areas, harvest before December and store cool (2–3 weeks).
7
Use the bitterness as a feature
Chicory's slight bitterness is the point, not a defect. Balancing flavours: chicory pairs perfectly with sweet, rich, or fatty ingredients — orange, honey, blue cheese, walnuts, bacon, butter, cream. Cooking reduces the bitterness — braised chicons in stock are milder than raw radicchio salad. Blanching (forcing under dark cover) reduces bitterness most of all — that's why witloof chicons taste so different from sun-grown leaves.
8
Protect from slugs and snails
Chicory is a slug-magnet in its young seedling stage. Apply at sowing: wool pellets along the row, or nematodes watered into the soil. Hand-pick slugs in the evening after rain. Mature plants resist slug damage better but young rows can be shredded overnight. Heading types are particularly vulnerable when the head is forming — slugs hide inside the developing heart.

Common questions

The chicory year in your garden

Dispatching imaginary bots to check your garden out...

What to do now

Hardiness Zones

H1a (tender)H7 (very hardy)

H1a

H1b

H1c

RHS H7

USDA 4–5 equivalent