How to Grow Endive From Seed

Endive of every type, from frilly curled frisee to broad-leaved escarole, is a cool-season green that is at its best in fall. Sow in mid to late summer so the rosettes mature as the weather cools, which naturally sweetens the leaves and gives you crisp heads for autumn salads. You can also direct-sow in very early spring for an early-summer crop, but fall sowings almost always produce better, less bitter plants and are less likely to bolt in the heat.

Direct-sow endive right in the bed, or start a few in pots to transplant. Plant the small seeds no more than a quarter inch deep in rich, evenly moist soil, spacing them about an inch apart. It germinates best when the soil is around 60F, sprouting in about a week. Thin or transplant to 8 to 12 inches apart so each plant can spread into a full rosette, giving the broad escarole types a little extra room since they grow larger and flatter than the compact curled kinds.

Endive wants to grow fast and never go thirsty. Water regularly and heavily, since dry spells make the leaves tougher and more bitter, and mulch to hold moisture. A light feed keeps the rosette lush. Climate matters: in cold-winter areas like the Northeast and Midwest, grow it as a fall crop and harvest before a hard freeze, while on the mild West Coast and in the South it can carry through fall and into winter. Cool weather is what keeps both the curled and the broad-leaved types tender and sweet.

Endive is a low, spreading rosette that pairs well with other cool-season crops and pest-confusing flowers. These four make especially good companions, and you can add any of them in one click:

Endive is ready in about 85 to 95 days for a full rosette, depending on type, though you can snip outer leaves earlier. For the mildest flavor, blanch the plant two to three weeks before harvest by tying the outer leaves over the center or setting a plate over the crown to cut off light. Harvest the whole head by cutting at the base, ideally after cool weather has sweetened it.

Endive is a salad-lover's family of greens. The frilly curled types, sold as frisee, are the heart of the classic French frisee aux lardons, tossed with a warm bacon vinaigrette and topped with a poached egg, while the broad-leaved escarole types add a milder, sturdier green that shines raw in salads and cooked into soups and braises. Use the pale blanched centers raw, wilt the sturdy outer leaves quickly like other greens, and let their gentle bitterness balance rich, salty, and sweet flavors.

• Bitter leaves: grow it cool and well watered, and blanch the heart before harvest to mellow the flavor of both curled and escarole types.
• Tough, stringy leaves: usually drought stress. Water regularly and heavily, especially in warm spells.
• Rot in the blanched center: blanch only dry plants and keep water off the tied-up leaves.
• Bolting: heat and long days push spring crops to flower. Favor a late-summer sowing for a fall harvest.