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How to Grow Chicories UK | Regional Planting Calendar
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.
In the UK, chicories go in the ground early April to late July, and are ready to harvest 30–60 days after planting.
Chicories (Cichorium intybus) — perennial.
Timing is the decision that matters most in the UK: there are 4 separate regional sowing windows, ranging from early April in Southern England to early April in Scotland.
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural and university-extension sources — see References.
RHS: sow forcing types outdoors May-June, radicchio/sugarloaf indoors April-May or outdoors June-July; a single window is applied uniformly across all four sub-regions since the source gives no UK-region-specific gradient.
Midlands - detail & sources
RHS: sow forcing types outdoors May-June, radicchio/sugarloaf indoors April-May or outdoors June-July; a single window is applied uniformly across all four sub-regions since the source gives no UK-region-specific gradient.
Northern England - detail & sources
RHS: sow forcing types outdoors May-June, radicchio/sugarloaf indoors April-May or outdoors June-July; a single window is applied uniformly across all four sub-regions since the source gives no UK-region-specific gradient.
Scotland - detail & sources
RHS: sow forcing types outdoors May-June, radicchio/sugarloaf indoors April-May or outdoors June-July; a single window is applied uniformly across all four sub-regions since the source gives no UK-region-specific gradient.
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).
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
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
When should I sow chicories in the UK?
In Southern England, from early April. In Scotland, wait until early April. Treat these as a guide rather than a fixed date — the governing rule is to sow only once frost risk has passed and temperatures are reliably warm enough.
When do I sow chicories?
Sow early April to late July.
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
Most of the advice on this page comes down to timing and spacing — sowing at the right moment, rotating beds, and giving plants enough airflow. The UK Garden Planner lays your plot out month by month so those decisions are already made before the season starts.
UK vegetable growing guides · Checked against RHS & Met Office guidance
Every SoilCommander guide is written and maintained by our editorial team for real UK growing conditions, and reviewed against Royal Horticultural Society growing advice and Met Office climate data before publication.
Sketch your exact plot shape, pick your UK crops, and get a spacing-accurate bed layout with companion pairings, a rotation plan and month-by-month sowing dates — every fact sourced from RHS and Garden Organic.
