*The information in this guide has been taken from my online course, From Seed to Harvest, so if you have purchased this course, or just the lesson on chicory/radicchio, you will already have the information. For any queries, please email anna@charlesdowding.co.uk.

Please note, this is a digital product and only accessible via the website. It is not downloadable.*

Here I share my knowledge about how to grow chicory/radicchio. My aim is that you understand this vegetable’s special needs and qualities so that successful harvests are almost certain.

The information is structured as follows:

• Introduction 
• Harvest period
• Why grow them
• Suitable for containers/shade?
• Conditions for success
• Varieties
• Sow and propagate
• Sowing conditions
• Sowing time
• Pot on?
• Transplant, size, time of year
• Spacing
• Support
• Water – how often, how much, extra mulch to retain water?
• Container growing
• Feed
• Prune and train plants/thin fruit
• Harvest time and method
• Potential problems – which pests are likely and when, disease, other likely difficulties
• Clearing
• Follow with

This is one of 30 growing guides, covering 40 of the most popular vegetables.

Soil care

In this guide there is occasional reference to weeding, feeding and basic bed preparation. Thanks to no dig, these are minimal jobs and are almost the same for all vegetables.

If you are not yet practising no dig, it’s simple. The key part is to stop digging and loosening your soil. Then rake it level and cover the surface with a thin layer of compost, into which you sow and transplant. Or, if you have many weeds, lay cardboard and cover with some compost.

Compost is anything decomposed and does not have to be perfect in appearance. It is organic matter that feeds soil life, maintaining soil with an aerated structure, far more effectively than we can do with tools.

On all soil types, you can grow fine chicory/radicchio using the no dig method. And you will enjoy the process much more, thanks to there being many fewer weeds.

Useful information 

I have created a bank of useful information which can be used alongside any of my online courses, knowledge packs, growing guides, books or web pages.

It contains:

• Information on the seasons and weather
• A comprehensive glossary of gardening terms that I use, explained in a few words
• A table showing which vegetables belong to which plant family
• A table with detailed spacing information for a wide range of vegetables 
• A harvesting timeline detailing the main months for sowing and harvesting 

The glossary, plant family information, spacing guide and harvesting timeline can all be downloaded as PDF’s.

It is available to purchase for £6 here.