Endive Geante

Endive Geante: variety and characteristics

Endive Geante (Cichorium endivia) is an annual vegetable of the Asteraceae family. This early, tight-headed variety, slightly curled at the heart, gives large green leaves that blanch easily.

The plant is rich in vitamin C, mineral salts and fibre and aids intestinal transit.

Companion planting with endive: carrots, endive, beans, lettuce, radishes, cauliflower.

Widely used in salads. It needs 50-65 days after transplanting.

Endive (curly and escarole) is a slightly bitter, crisp salad leaf for autumn, hardier to cold than lettuce.

Key features

• Measured germination rate of the batch: 89%
• Seeds per packet: 510–690 pcs (1 g)
• Seed origin: Italy
• Sowing: March and April; direct or as seedlings
• Harvest: August – December
• Position: sun to partial shade

When to sow Endive Geante

Endive Geante seeds are sown in March and April. Harvest in August – December. The months are a guide for a temperate climate — in warmer areas sow 1–2 weeks earlier, in cooler or upland areas, later.

How to sow and grow Endive Geante

• Sowing method: direct or seedlings
• Depth: 0.5 cm
• Spacing: 30 cm
• Germination: 5–10 days at 15–20 °C
• Position: sun to partial shade

Transplanting is done at the beginning of July, in nursery beds, shallowly as with lettuce, at a spacing of 40/30 cm, followed by watering with running water. After that, care consists of regular watering, hoeing and 1-2 feedings with mineral fertilisers. The heart of the rosettes must not get wet, to protect the plants from rotting. When the rosettes reach their normal size, about ten days before harvest the leaves are blanched, which reduces their bitterness. To do this, the leaves are gathered upward and tied at the top. So that the leaves do not break, they are tied in two stages: the first time the leaves are lifted halfway, and a week later they are gathered in and tied up fully.

Sow in June–August for an autumn harvest. Blanch the heart by tying the leaves 2 weeks before harvest.

Harvest and use

Harvest whole heads in autumn.

Frequently asked questions

When should Endive Geante be sown?

The recommended sowing months are March and April. Sowing method: direct or seedlings.

How many seeds are in the packet?

The packet contains 510–690 seeds, pack size 1 g.

What is the germination rate of the seeds?

The measured germination rate of this batch is 89%. The test was carried out under controlled laboratory conditions; in the field, emergence depends on soil, temperature and moisture.