When to plant Witloof in Cool Australia

Cool zone — applies to Hobart, Canberra, Ballarat, Orange, Armidale and similar areas. Growing elsewhere? Temperate · Subtropical · Tropical · Arid.

Sow witloof chicory direct from November to January through the warmth of early summer. This hardy crop is grown for its taproot, which is later forced in the dark to produce the pale, tight chicons. Seed germinates in 7–14 days; sow 5 mm deep and thin to 20–25 cm apart in rows of 30 cm so roots have room to fatten. Allow a long 120–150 days to grow sturdy roots before lifting them in autumn. Cool-zone gardens in Hobart or Orange, with their real winter chill, suit the two-stage process perfectly.

Sowing calendar — cool zone

Green months are your sowing window: November to January.

Growing notes

Witloof is a two-part crop, and understanding that is the key to success. Through summer you grow long, carrot-like taproots in the open ground. Then in late autumn you lift them, trim the tops, and force them in darkness at cool temperatures to produce the crisp, blanched chicons the plant is prized for. Canberra and Ballarat, with cold winters and cool sheds, give you ideal forcing conditions.

The common failure is forcing in the light, which turns the chicons green, loose, and unpleasantly bitter. When you pot up the lifted roots to force, keep them in complete darkness, either in a covered box or a dark cupboard, at around 10–15°C. Any light leak will spoil the heads.

Growing the roots is straightforward: give them a long, steady season, thin them properly, and do not over-feed with nitrogen, which produces forked or fangy roots that force poorly. Lift before hard frosts, store the roots in damp sand if needed, and force a few at a time over winter for a succession of fresh chicons. Bitterness in the final crop nearly always traces back to light exposure or roots forced too warm.

Witloof at a glance

Common questions

how do you force witloof chicory

Lift the taproots in autumn, trim the leaves, and pot them upright in sand or soil. Keep them in complete darkness at around 10–15°C, and blanched chicons will form over a few weeks. Any light will turn them green and bitter.

why is my witloof bitter

Bitterness usually comes from light reaching the chicons during forcing, or from forcing the roots too warm. Force in total darkness at cool temperatures for tight, pale, mild heads.

how long does witloof take to grow

Allow 120–150 days in the ground to build strong taproots before lifting, then a few more weeks of forcing to produce the chicons. It is a slow, two-stage crop spread across summer and winter.

when to sow witloof in Hobart

Sow from November to January so the roots have a full summer to grow. Hobart's cold winters are ideal for the autumn lift and dark forcing that follow.

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