Witloof

Witloof

Cichorium intybus

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• Vegetable

• Delicate flavour

• Coffee substitute

Can be cooked or eaten raw. Delicate flavour; slightly bitter and sweet. Roots can be dried and roasted as a coffee substitute. Outer leaves are green, inner leaves are pale.

How to sow and grow:

Method:	Sow direct
Sowing Depth:	5mm
When:	Spring
Germination:	4-7 days @ 15-18°C
Hardiness / Life Cycle:	Hardy Perennial (usually grown as an annual)
Row Spacing:	50cm
Plant Spacing:	30cm
Position:	Full sun, moist soil
Days to Maturity/Flowering:	150-170 days

*Notes:

Witloof needs to be grown in two stages to produce pale blanched heads. Step 1: Grow like usual chicory, cut off leaf growth and harvest root. Step 2: Re-plant root and grow in dark, either by covering or growing indoors. Alternatively Witloof can be grown like regular chicory, however it will have an open habit with green leaves.

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