Growing and Forcing Belgian Endive

BELGIAN ENDIVE, TOTEM F1 AVAILABLE FROM JOHNNY'S SELECTED SEEDS, IS AN EASY-To-GROW FRESH VEGGIE TO GROW FOR MID-WINTER SALADS, AND IT NEVER HAS SEEN A PLANE.

Growing Belgian Endive at home, is easier than you might think, yet looking back at these photos, I realized how long it takes (9-10 months), before one can harvest a crop. Even though it seems like like long time to wait for a harvest, the labor involved is minimal. If you are looking for another way to augment your winter storage vegetables like roots, potatoes and cabbage, and you are craving something really fresh-picked, why no grow a crop of Belgian Endive - truly a low carbon crop for fresh winter salads. One sows seed in March or April, a little thinning a weeding in May and June, no fertilizer or water needed in the summer, and then ones digs the roots up in October. A day to dry off in the sun, and then the roots are potted up in a long-tom clay pot, and placed in the root cellar until December, when one relocated them to a warmer, yet dark place to spout. Following, are some photos of the entire process.

BELGIAN ENDIVE SEED MUST BE PLANTED AS SOON AS THE GROUND CAN BE WORKED - HERE IN NEW ENGLAND,  THIS CAN BE MID-MARCH.

In the 1700's and 1800's if one wanted fresh vegetables in the winter months, one had to plan months ahead, potting up plants to force in root cellars and hot beds, a common practice on private estates and on family farms. In Europe, methods of growing and then forcing chicories and endives for winter harvests started in the 1600's, yet today, the process has been somewhat modified and modernized, the results are basically exactly the same. Belgian endive that is forced in barns that are blacked-out so the no light at all can turn the chicons green, still provide harvests of endive for modern supermarkets. But if you are looking for a sustainable crop that will provide you with fresh vegetables in the winter

SEED SHOULD BE SOWN THINLY, SO THERE IS MINIMAL HAND-THINNING, WHICH CAN DISTURB THE ANGLE OF THE TAP ROOT. ONE WANTS TO HARVEST LONG, THICK ROOTS IN THE AUTUMN.

YOUNG ENDIVE LOOKS VERY MUCH LIKE THE COMMON DANDELION, WHICH IS, OF COURSE, ALSO AN ENDIVE.

IN MID SUMMER, KEEPING WEEDS AT BAY, WILL BE THE ONLY CHORE. BELGIAN ENDIVE PREFERS LEAN SANDY SOIL THAT DRAINS WELL, WITH VERY LITTLE FERTILIZER. LOW NITROGEN MEANS STRONGER ROOTS, AND LITTLE WATER WILL FORCE ROOTS TO LOOK DEEPER FOR MOISTURE.

JUST BEFORE A HARD FROST, WHICH FOR US, OFTEN MEANS LATE OCTOBER, THE ROOTS ARE CAREFULLY DUG UP.

THE VARIETY I GREW, TOTEM F1 FROM JOHNNY'S SELECTED SEEDS, IS A CHOICE VARIETY FOR NORTHERN GROWERS. ROOTS ARE ALLOWED TO DRY FOR A DAY, AND THE LONG TIPS ARE CUT OFF, AS WELL AS THE FOLIAGE. ROOTS ARE POTTED UP SHOULDER-TO-SHOULDER IN A LONG TOM, OR A DEEP CLAY POT. HERE IS WHERE THINGS CAN GO WRONG.

THE POTTED ROOTS ARE WRAPPED IN A CLOTH TO BLOCK OUT THE LIGHT -  I USED BLACK VELVET BLACK OUT CLOTH, AND THE ENTIRE POT IS SET IN A COOL, DARK PLACE UNTIL READY TO FORCE. DON'T WAIT TOO LONG, THE LAST HARVEST SHOULD BE AROUND FEB.1ST.

I START POTS AROUND CHRISTMAS TIME BY MOVING THEM TO A PITCH BACK, YET WARM LOCATION, LIKE A CLOSET OR A CELLAR WAY, WHERE TEMPS ARE AROUND 68 DEG. F.

IT ONLY TAKES A FEW WEEKS FOR THE CHICONS TO SPROUT. IF YOU USE A BLACK PLASTIC GARBAGE BAG TO BLOCK OUT THE LIGHT, CHECK DAILY FOR MOLD OR DECAY. SHOOTS CAN BE CUT OFF JUST ABOVE THE ROOT TOP, AND A SECOND CROP WITH FEWER LEAVES CAN BE HARVESTED IN A FEW WEEKS.

Today we hosted the New England chapter of the American Primula Society for a mid-winter bash. We presented this first pot of Belgian Endive to Jacques Mommens, ( who is from Belgium), and he was very moved by his gift. As an active member of The National Rock Garden Society and the American Primrose Society, Jacques is a dear friend of many alpine plant enthusiasts across the country, and we are always thrilled when he braves his long journey from New York to come to one of our events.