How to grow Chicory
Updated October 2026
Chicory is a hardy, deep rooted member of the daisy family grown for its pleasantly bitter leaves, which are eaten young in salads or cooked when older. Cultivated forms include cutting chicory (sometimes sold as Italian dandelion), radicchio and Belgian endive, and the roasted roots have long been used as a coffee substitute, famously in New Orleans. It is a cool season crop that tolerates frost but suffers in hot, humid summers.
📖 Our full guide: How to Grow Chicory
Not to be confused with: Curly endive and escarole are a closely related species with similar uses. Wild chicory, with its sky blue roadside flowers, is the same species as the garden types.
Where to plant
Grow chicory in full sun in deep, well drained, fertile soil, which gives leafy growth and deep roots. Once established it is quite drought tolerant, but even moisture gives milder, more tender leaves. NC State notes it does not do well in heat and humidity and can suffer in Southern summers.
In Florida, the Gulf South, Texas, the desert and Southern California, sow from fall to late winter for harvest in the cool months. In the Mid-South and Mid-Atlantic, sow in late winter to spring and again in late summer and fall. Across the North, the Midwest, the Mountain West and Alaska, sow in spring and again in midsummer for a fall crop; frost sweetens the leaves.
Choosing a variety
Cutting chicories such as Italiko Rosso, with red ribbed leaves, are sown thickly and cut as greens. Radicchio forms tight red heads that turn sweeter in cool fall weather. Belgian endive (witloof) is grown for its root, which is lifted in fall and forced in the dark to produce pale, tight chicons. Root chicory is grown for roasting as a coffee substitute.
How to plant
- Sow seed directly about a quarter inch (6 mm) deep in a fine seedbed.
- Keep the soil moist until seedlings appear.
- For cutting greens, sow thinly in rows and cut young. For heads, thin to about 12 inches (30 cm) apart.
- Sow again every few weeks in the right season for a steady supply.
Watering and feeding
Keep the soil evenly moist, particularly in warm weather, as drought stress makes the leaves tougher and more bitter. Mulch to hold moisture.
Dig compost into the bed before sowing; chicory is not a heavy feeder.
Pruning and care through the year
- Weed carefully while seedlings are small.
- Do not let garden chicory flower and set seed if you want to keep it from spreading; it self seeds readily and is weedy in fields and roadsides. Remove unwanted plants with all of the root, as it resprouts from root pieces.
- In the North, plants left in the ground often survive winter and regrow in spring.
Harvesting
Cut young leaves for salads once they are a few inches long, or cut the whole plant just above the soil and let it regrow. Older leaves are more bitter and are best cooked, which reduces the bitterness.
Harvest radicchio heads when firm, usually after cool weather has deepened their color. Lift chicory roots in fall for forcing or roasting.
Companion planting
Chicory fits easily into a cool season bed.
Good companions
Pests and diseases
NC State reports no serious problems, with slugs, snails and cutworms as occasional pests.
Pests to watch for
- Slugs and snails Ragged holes in leaves, especially young plants in damp weather.
- Aphids Clusters of small insects under the leaves.
Diseases to watch for
- Leaf spot Brown spots on older leaves in wet weather.
Common questions
Is chicory the same as endive?
They are close relatives. Curly endive and escarole are Cichorium endivia; chicory, radicchio and Belgian endive are Cichorium intybus. Both are grown and eaten in similar ways.
Why is my chicory so bitter?
Chicory is naturally bitter, and heat and drought make it more so. Grow it in cool weather with steady water, pick leaves young, and cook older leaves.
Can I use chicory root as coffee?
Yes. The roots are dried, roasted and ground as a coffee substitute or blend, a tradition in New Orleans. Grow a root chicory type for this.
Is chicory a weed?
Wild chicory is naturalized across much of the country along roadsides and in pastures, and NC State notes it is considered invasive in some states. Do not let garden plants go to seed.
When should I plant chicory in the South?
In fall through late winter, so it grows in the cool months. It struggles in hot, humid Southern summers.
Sources we checked: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: Cichorium intybus; University of Wisconsin Extension: Chicory, Cichorium intybus.
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