Endives are a delicious late summer salad that can be harvested well into autumn. Below you will find out the most important things about endives, where and when they are grown and when they can be harvested.
When and how are endives grown?
Endives should be planted between mid-June and mid-July, preferably in a sunny and nutrient-rich location. After sowing, they require regular watering and little fertilizer. The harvest time is usually between August and November, depending on the variety.
Endive in profile
- Botanical name: Cichorium endivia
- Genus: Chicory
- Annual or biennial: usually biennial, but usually grown as a lettuce as an annual
- Origin: Mediterranean region
- Frost hardiness: depending on the variety down to around -6°C
- Leaves: serrated, slightly to heavily curled
- Flower: bluish ray florets
- Interesting facts: Vegetable of the year 2005 in Germany
When to plant endive?
If endives are sown too early, you run the risk that the lettuce will bloom quickly and hardly produce any leaves. Therefore, the correct sowing time is crucial. A good guideline here is mid-June to mid-July. Plants that you have grown on the windowsill can also be planted out in June/July. The ideal sowing date varies slightly depending on the endive variety. Here we have put together an overview of the most important endive varieties and their sowing dates.
Where are endives planted?
Endive salad likes it bright and nutritious. It makes sense to enrich the soil with compost some time before sowing. In addition, endives can only be grown in the same place every three years.
The most important key data on endive cultivation
- Location: as sunny as possible
- Sowing depth: 1cm
- Planting distance: 30 to 40cm
What care do endives need?
The endive must be watered as often as possible, especially immediately after sowing. Young plants react extremely to drought. Endive salad needs little fertilizer after sowing, provided you have enriched the soil with compost before cultivation. However, you can pamper it with a little mulch (€19.00 on Amazon) or blue fertilizer. Since endives can also be harvested late in autumn, the question of frost hardiness arises. A few degrees below zero usually doesn't bother the plants. Nevertheless, you would do well to protect them from severe frost with foil or some brushwood, especially at night.
When are endives harvested?
Endives can usually be harvested three months after sowing. The harvest time is usually between August and November. You can find out the exact harvest time depending on the variety here.
