Space plants 25cm apart for chicory heads or 5cm apart if going for 'cut and come again' leaves.
Chicory is an easy-going crop providing fresh greens in autumn and winter. It is happy in most situations where the soil is free draining.
Soil Preparation
Dig plenty of farmyard manure or garden compost into the ground. Work the soil so that it is fine and crumbly.
Plant Out
Harden the plants off by putting the pot outside during the day and bringing it in at night for a week. This will help to get them acclimatised to the conditions outdoors.
Soak the pot of plants with water the night before planting out.
Take the plants out of the pot by placing a hand over the plants and tipping the pot upside down. The soil ball will fall out of the pot into your hand.
Turn the ball the right way up & gently tease the roots apart to separate out one plant. Take care not to damage the roots.
Make a hole in the ground that is slightly deeper than the roots are long. Place the plant in the hole so that the bottom leaves are almost at soil level. Gently push the soil around the roots to fill in the hole.
Hold the leaves to keep the plant vertical whilst firming the soil down.
Water
When all the plants are in, water them well.
Water the chicory regularly so that the soil is always moist. This is particularly important in summer; the soil should never dry out. The water stops the leaves turning bitter and the plants going to flower.
Containers will need to be well watered all through the summer. Pay particular attention to the edges of the container which will dry out first.
Weeds
Pull weeds out as they appear. This will remove any competition for water and nutrients.
Fertilising chicory is not necessary. Although if growing chicory in containers a liquid fertiliser every couple of weeks will give it a boost.
Protect the plants from hard frosts in winter by covering with fleece or a mulch.
Blanching is not necessary with non-forcing chicory. But a bucket placed over the plant 2 or 3 weeks before harvesting will make the leaves sweeter.
Harvest
'Cut and come again' leaves are cut when they are 2-10cm long using scissors. Leave about 3cm of stalk above the soil, taking care not to damage the growing centre. This centre will sprout again providing another crop in about 3 weeks. Pick regularly to encourage more young leaves to grow.
Harvest the fully formed chicory heads from late autumn and all through the winter. Hold the head and use a knife to cut through the base of the stalk. Discard the bitter outer leaves.
The heads will store in a cool, airy dark shed for several weeks. The severed root will grow shoots which will develop into smaller heads.
Grow different varieties of chicory to spread the harvest, and stagger plantings over a few weeks.
Mon - Fri 8:00am - 5:00pm
Sat & Sun 9:00am - 5:00pm
Any questions? Email us or give us a call on 01904 400092.
