🥬 The Best 20 Varieties of Chicory to Grow: Tips, Facts, and Information
🌱 Introduction: Why Grow Chicory?
Chicory is a versatile, hardy crop that earns its place in both vegetable gardens and allotments. From crisp leaves for salads to dense heads perfect for grilling or roasting, chicory offers variety, flavour, and reliability, especially in cooler seasons when other crops struggle.
This guide covers the best 20 chicory varieties to grow, with practical tips, key characteristics, and growing notes to help you choose the right types for your garden, growing space, and kitchen.
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• Chicory Seeds (Mixed & Individual Varieties)
Choosing fresh, high-quality seed improves germination and gives more uniform plants, especially important for heading and forcing varieties.
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• Seed Trays & Module Pots
Ideal for starting chicory under cover, helping produce strong root systems before transplanting outdoors.
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• Vegetable Seed Compost
Free-draining compost supports healthy root development and reduces stress that can increase bitterness in chicory leaves.
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🥬 The Best 20 Chicory Varieties to Grow
1. Witloof (Belgian Endive)
Grown for forcing, producing tight pale heads with a mild bitterness. Ideal for winter harvests.
2. Brussels Witloof
A classic forcing variety known for uniform, compact chicons and reliable results.
3. Zoom F1
Modern hybrid witloof chicory with excellent disease resistance and consistent forcing performance.
4. Radicchio di Chioggia
Round, cabbage-like heads with deep red leaves and white veins. Great for salads and grilling.
5. Radicchio di Treviso
Elongated heads with elegant red leaves. Sweeter and milder after cold weather.
6. Palla Rossa
Popular Italian radicchio producing firm red heads with balanced bitterness.
7. Rossa di Verona
Slow-growing variety with excellent flavour that improves after frost exposure.
8. Variegata di Castelfranco
Attractive cream and green leaves speckled with red. Mild and decorative as well as edible.
9. Pain de Sucre
Tall, pointed heads with pale green leaves and a milder taste than many chicories.
10. Grumolo Verde
Loose-leaf Italian chicory harvested young or mature. Cold-tolerant and sweet after frost.
11. Grumolo Rosso
Red-leaved version of grumolo with increased cold hardiness and richer colour.
12. Catalogna
Loose, upright leaves used widely in Mediterranean cooking. Best harvested young.
⭐ Recommended Products — Garden & Allotment Essentials for March
March is when the growing season truly begins. Seeds are being sown daily, beds are prepared and late frosts are still possible — these essentials help produce strong plants and a successful start.
Seed Trays, Modules & Propagation Kits — perfect for tomatoes, brassicas, lettuce, onions and flowers. 👉
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Heated Propagators, Heat Mats & Grow Lights — improves germination and prevents leggy seedlings during cold nights. 👉
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Seed & Cutting Compost — essential for healthy seedlings and strong root growth. 👉
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Garden Fleece & Plant Protection Covers — protects seedlings, potatoes and early plantings from late frost. 👉
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Spring Vegetable Seeds — carrots, beetroot, peas, spinach and salads can all be started now. 👉
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Garden Kneeler & Seat — makes long sowing and planting sessions far more comfortable. 👉
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Pressure Washer (Greenhouse & Patio Cleaning) — clean patios, paths and greenhouses before planting. 👉
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Solar Garden Lights — perfect for enjoying the garden during brighter spring evenings. 👉
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13. Catalogna Puntarelle
Specialist variety grown for its tender central shoots, prized in Italian cuisine.
14. Sugarloaf Chicory
Large, pale heads with minimal bitterness. Excellent for beginners and winter growing.
15. Bianca di Milano
Compact, pale green heads with a crisp texture and mild flavour.
16. Rossa di Treviso Precoce
Earlier-maturing Treviso type, suitable for shorter growing seasons.
17. Rossa di Treviso Tardivo
Late-harvest Treviso chicory, known for exceptional flavour after cold exposure.
18. Pan di Zucchero
Another sugarloaf-style chicory with upright growth and good disease resistance.
19. Zuccherina di Trieste
Cut-and-come-again variety producing tender leaves over a long season.
20. Bianca di Scarola
Escarole-type chicory with broad leaves, excellent for soups and cooking.
🌱 Growing Tips for Chicory Success
- Sow from late spring to early summer for autumn and winter harvests
- Avoid very rich soil—excess nitrogen increases leafiness but reduces flavour
- Chicory prefers cool temperatures and improves in taste after frost
- Keep soil consistently moist to prevent excessive bitterness
- For forcing types, lift roots in autumn and force indoors in darkness
🌿 Choosing the Right Chicory for Your Garden
- For salads: Sugarloaf, Castelfranco, Zuccherina di Trieste
- For cooking: Radicchio, escarole, catalogna
- For winter harvests: Witloof, Treviso, grumolo
- For beginners: Sugarloaf, Bianca di Milano
Growing more than one type gives harvests across multiple seasons.
🧠 Key Takeaway
Chicory is far more than one crop—it’s a family of vegetables offering everything from mild, crisp leaves to bold, bitter flavours that shine in cooking. By choosing the right varieties and timing sowings carefully, chicory can provide dependable harvests from autumn through winter when little else is growing.