About
Cichorium intybus 'Palla Rossa' is a non-forcing chicory variety that forms upright heads with dark green leaves featuring distinct white veins and a solid heart. Harvest this plant from September to November. The leaves may have a bitter flavor, which can be mellowed through blanching. It is suitable for various culinary applications, including roasting or incorporating into salads.
About the genus
Cichorium comprises both annual and perennial species characterized by loosely branching stems. The leaves are either toothed or pinnately lobed, and the plants produce dandelion-like flowers, typically blue, which tend to close by early afternoon during the summer months.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Sand, Loam
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H5
Plant details
- Plant type
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit
- Columnar upright, Clump forming
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 1-2 years
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in fertile, well drained soil. Sow seed direct, 1.5cm deep between April and August. Thin out to 25-30cm apart and harvest between September and November. Alternatively sow indoors from March in modules and transplant out in Summer. See vegetable cultivation
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds or sowing seeds indoors for further advice
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to slugs and snails
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to powdery mildews and rust diseases