Chicory is one of those frugal plants that are easy to care for. Here's what you need to know about the unusual two-phase cultivation.
First of all: do not grow your chicory in long monotonous rows, but choose a varied mixed culture. This has the advantage for all plants involved that species-specific pests and diseases can spread much more slowly. You then have more time to react and save your vegetables. Good companions for chicory are, for example, beans, fennel and carrots, but onions and tomatoes are also excellent.
How to properly care for chicory
Soil/Location
Chicory loves the sun and therefore thrives best in a warm, full sun. However, the plants also get along well with light penumbra and alternating shade. If you decide to grow from seeds indoors, you must choose a bright window location for the young plants before they are released outdoors.
In terms of soil conditions, chicory is not very demanding. The plants like well-loosened, well-drained and humus-rich soil. Poor sandy soils and also heavily compacted loam or clay soils can be easily optimized with organic material such as mature compost. It is best to work in the compost before you sow the seeds in May or take the young plants out of the house. This gives the nutrients a little time to spread out in the subsoil and are immediately available to the chicory.
Pouring chicory
Water your chicory regularly and make sure that the soil does not dry out for a long time, especially in the hot summer months. However, you must also avoid standing pools of water in the bed so that there are no signs of rot on the roots. Additional fertilization of the plants is not necessary.
Driving chicory in the dark
In the months of September to November, get your chicory out of the bed, leave the plants for a few days and then remove the leaves. The roots must now be driven in complete darkness. You can use soil from the bed as a substrate and as containersLarge plastic tubs or buckets are ideal.
If you don't have a dark room available, you can also use two tubs or buckets of the same size: one to put the roots in and one as a lid, which leaves enough space for the newly sprouting leaves. Don't forget to keep the chicory moist regularly while forcing. Reading tip: Harvesting and storing chicory - all about timing and process.