How to Grow

How to Grow Chicories Canada | Planting & Establishment

Move through the SoilCommander growing library like a course: keep the navigation in place, open the next lesson, and build your garden plan step by step.

How to Grow Chicories Canada | Planting & Establishment guide thumbnail

Chicory (Cichorium intybus)

A young chicory rosette of leaves before flowering — “Cichorium intybus sl18” by Stefan.lefnaer is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons

6 sources cited · Verified

The short answer

Ready in
30–60 days
Site
6+ hours of sun, soil pH 6–7.5
Biggest risk
Grey mould

In the UK, chicories are ready to harvest 30–60 days after planting.

Chicories (Cichorium intybus) — perennial.

Unlike an annual crop, the work here is front-loaded into establishment: get the planting and the site right and the same plants crop for several seasons.

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural and university-extension sources — see References.

Soil & Growing Conditions

Chicory's wiry, branching flowering stems — “Cichorium intybus, la Cellera de Ter” by Josep Gesti is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Cichorium intybus, la Cellera de Ter” by Josep Gesti is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Soil pH range

6 7.5

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

A chicory plant with several blue flowers on wiry stems — “Chicory flowers, near Atherfield, Isle of Wight, England” by ITookSomePhotos is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Chicory flowers, near Atherfield, Isle of Wight, England” by ITookSomePhotos is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Stage BBCH Notes
Sowing and germination 0 Sow forcing types outdoors May-June, radicchio/sugarloaf indoors April-May or outdoors June-July, all at about 1cm depth in rows 30cm apart (RHS).
Thinning and leaf growth 1 Thin to 15cm apart for forcing types, 30cm for radicchio/sugarloaf, or 5cm for baby leaf crops; water thoroughly in dry weather to deter bolting and bitter leaves (RHS).
Heading (radicchio/sugarloaf) or root bulking (forcing types) 4 Radicchio and sugarloaf form heads through summer for a late-summer harvest; forcing chicory instead bulks up its root through summer ahead of winter lifting and forcing (RHS).
Harvest, or lifting and forcing 8 Radicchio/sugarloaf harvested as whole heads from late summer. Forcing chicory is dug up in November, roots stored and then forced in the dark at 10-15C, yielding pale chicons at 15cm tall after about 4 weeks, through winter into early spring (RHS).

Quick Facts

Close-up of a pale blue chicory flower — “Cichorium intybus” by Marcus Lüpke is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Cichorium intybus” by Marcus Lüpke is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Factor Value
Soil pH 6 - 7.5
Sunlight 6-6 hours direct sun
Optimal growing temp 10-30C
Minimum survivable temp -5C
Time to harvest 30-60 days
Drainage Well-drained
Lifecycle perennial
Edible parts leaves, root (forced chicons)

At a Glance

Close-up of a pale blue chicory flower — “Cichorium intybus” by Marcus Lüpke is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Cichorium intybus” by Marcus Lüpke is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Cichorium intybus Chicory Grey mould Powdery mildew Aphids Slugs Snails DISEASES PESTS

Harvest & Storage

A field of chicory in flower with pale blue blooms — “Cichorium intybus MG 8535” by Assianir is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Cichorium intybus MG 8535” by Assianir is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

When to pick: RHS: cut-and-come-again leaves ready "just a month or two after sowing"; forced chicons ready "about four weeks" after potting up, harvested "once the chicon is 15cm (6in) tall, by cutting it at the base"; mature whole heads ready from late summer to mid-autumn.

Storage

Forced chicons and cut leaves best used fresh, short storage life

Diseases

Chicory's wiry, branching flowering stems — “Cichorium intybus, la Cellera de Ter” by Josep Gesti is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Cichorium intybus, la Cellera de Ter” by Josep Gesti is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Fuzzy grey-brown Botrytis mould covering a tomato stem — Rasbak, CC BY-SA 3.0
Rasbak, CC BY-SA 3.0
Grey mould

Botrytis cinerea

Soft brown fruit decay; Fuzzy grey-brown mould

Pests

Chicory's wiry, branching flowering stems — “Cichorium intybus, la Cellera de Ter” by Josep Gesti is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Cichorium intybus, la Cellera de Ter” by Josep Gesti is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Aphididae (various spp.)

Slugs

Gastropoda (slugs, various spp.)

Snails

Gastropoda (snails, various spp.)

References

  1. country=INTL

  2. country=INTL

  3. country=INTL

  4. country=USA

  5. country=UK

  6. country=UK

6 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do chicories take to grow?

Typically 30–60 days, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.

What soil pH do chicories need?

A pH of about 6–7.5. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.

What problems affect chicories?

Our data links 2 diseases and 3 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

Short-season growing is arithmetic before it is technique: days to maturity against frost-free days decides what will finish at all. The Canada Garden Planner does that subtraction for your region before you sow.

Get the Canada Garden Planner →

Instant PDF download · Written for Canadian growing conditions

SoilCommander Editorial Team

Canadian vegetable growing guides · Checked against provincial agriculture & university extension guidance

Every SoilCommander guide is written and maintained by our editorial team for real Canadian growing conditions, and checked against provincial agriculture and Canadian university extension guidance, and against frost-date and growing-season data, before publication.

Vegetable Growing Guides Canada

Last verified 2026-08-30

Relevant next steps

Where To Go From Here

Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.

Canada garden plannerTurn this crop guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and a harvest record. All growing guidesBrowse every crop we cover for your region, A to Z. Planting CalendarSee how this crop fits alongside everything else you are growing.
Free Tool
soilcommander.com/pages/garden-planner
1 · Shape
2 · Crops
3 · Conditions
4 · Plan
Choose your garden shape
🍅
Bed 1
Tomatoes
🍌
Bed 2
Legumes
🥦
Bed 3
Brassicas
🥕
Bed 4
Roots
🥥
Bed 5
Alliums
🌿
Herbs & More

Free planning tool

Plan your veg garden before you dig a single inch

Sketch your exact plot shape, pick your crops, and get a spacing-accurate bed layout with companion pairings and a rotation plan. Spacing, companion pairings and rotation work the same in any climate — pair the layout it gives you with the Canada planting calendar for your own frost-date timing.

Garden Layout Planner Tool

Free to use. Nothing to install.

Plan the next step

Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.

Get Planner