Planting - Endive or Escarole
Planting Information
| Seeding Rate Per Foot |
Scatter seed as thinly as possible and cover with about 1/2 to 3/4 inch soil. |
| Seeds Per Ounce |
27,000 |
| Space Between Plants |
8" |
| Planting Depth |
1/2" |
| Plant Height |
Medium |
| Plant Types |
Curled or Fringed
Broad leaved known as escarole |
| Favorite Varieties |
Fringed: Salad King, Green Curled
Broadleaved, Full Heart Batavian |
| Seed Viability (Years) |
5 years |
| Seed Germination |
60° F |
| Germination Time |
49 days at 32° F
15 days at 41° F
7 days at 50° F
4 days at 59° F
3 days at 68° F
2 days at 77° F to 90° F |
Planting Instructions
Plant crops in cool weather, about two weeks before the expected date of the last frost.
To be sweet and tender, endive must grow fast in cool weather. Early spring crops should be planted from transplants produced at temperatures above 60° F to avoid premature flowering.
A late-season crop planted in August has excellent flavor but can be difficult to germinate in hot weather.
Endive makes an attractive, curling leafed, edible border for flower beds and other decorative gardens. It lends itself to mixed plantings in container gardens.
Endive has a better, less bitter flavor as a fall crop. To make them more tender and to reduce bitterness, blanch the plant by drawing the outer leaves together and tying them for two to three weeks or cover them with bushel baskets. Blanching was once commonly done, but the practice has been largely discontinued.
The plant forms a rosette of leaves.
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Container Gardens