Curly Endive or Escarole
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting
Curly Endive or Escarole
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow curly endive or escarole in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- How many plants of curly endive or escarole to plant
- Growing conditions for curly endive or escarole
- When to plant curly endive or escarole
- How to plant curly endive or escarole
- Watering, fertilizing, and pruning curly endive or escarole
- Companion plantings for curly endive or escarole
- How to harvest, store, and use curly endive or escarole
Growing Curly Endive or Escarole
Cool-season biennials that bear leafy greens prized for salads.
Endive is a loose-headed, curly-fringed, lettucelike green, to 8 in. (20 cm) tall, with a strong flavor; escarole is generally similar but bears smooth leaves. Endive is related to sunflower.
Belgian endive is an unrelated plant [see also: Chicory; Belgian Endive; French Endive; or Radicchio].
Endive or Escarole Plant and Care Guide
How Much to Plant
Allow 2–3 plants per household member.
How to Plant
Seed germinates in 7–14 days.
Average Climates: Sow seed in full sun in early spring when soil warms to 50–85°F (10–29°C).
Mild-Winter Climates: Sow seed in autumn.
Autumn–Winter Gardens: Sow seed from June–July or transplants from July–August for harvest in winter.
Sow seed 1/4-in. (6 mm) deep, 1–2 in. (25–50 mm) apart, thinning to 8–12 in. (20–30 cm) apart, in rows 18–24 in. (45–60 cm) apart.
Plant successions.
Best Conditions for Growth
Growing temperature: 50–80°F (10–27°C). Cool temperatures produce highly prized, bitter-tasting greens; provide shade to plants in full sunlight at temperatures over 85°F (29°C).
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained, sandy soil. Fertility: Rich. 5.0–6.8 pH. Prepare soil at least 1 ft. (30 cm) deep.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep evenly moist; avoid wetting foliage. Fertilize monthly with 5–5–5 formula. Cultivate. Aphid, armyworm, flea beetle, leafhopper, slug, snail and mildew susceptible.
Autumn–Winter Gardens: Protect from frost and freezes beginning in October.
Blanch to ensure white foliage by loosely tying outer leaves over developing head when 4–5 in. (10–13 cm) tall; avoid blanching when foliage is wet, and loosen ties following rain to allow foliage to dry.
Pairing Recommendations
Beets, parsnips, radishes, and turnip.
Maturity, Picking and Gathering
85–100 days. Cut outer leaves from stem beginning when 5–6 in. (13–15 cm) long; early-harvest greens are tender and mild flavored. Continue harvesting throughout season, cutting all remaining leaves when stalks begin to form seed heads. Wash throughly and allow to dry before chilling.
How to Store and Preserve
Fresh in vegetable keeper of refrigerator for 2 weeks. Eat endive leaves raw as flavorful, somewhat bitter salad greens or quickly grill with other greens or root vegetables for a vegetable accompaniment with hardy entrées.