RHS Growing Guides
How to grow endive
Our detailed growing guide will help you with each step in successfully growing Endive.
Getting Started
Endive is a compact, lettuce-like plant, available in an attractive range of colours and shapes, from bright green and frilly, to rounded and ruby red. It can be harvested either as
Endive wallone
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Choosing
There are two types of endive to choose from:
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Batavian or escarole – these have large, flat, broad leaves of various colours. They are more robust, so useful for winter harvesting.
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Curly or fringed frisée – these form an attractive, loose rosette of thin, frilly leaves, ideal for summer salads. They tend to be more tolerant of hot weather.
There are many varieties of each type of endive, in a choice of attractive colours, sizes and leaf shapes, making a highly ornamental addition to any veg plot or container. The flavour can vary from relatively mild to quite bitter, so choose varieties to suit your taste.
Some varieties are better for growing as a cut and come again crop, others as whole heads. Some are self-blanching. Sowing and harvesting times vary depending on the variety, so check details on the packet.
When choosing varieties, look in particular for those with an RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), which shows they performed well in our growing trials – see our list of AGM fruit and veg.
You can also see many leafy salad crops such as endive growing in the veg plots at the RHS gardens, so do visit to see how they are grown, compare the varieties and pick up useful tips.
What and where to buy
Endive seeds are widely available in garden centres and from online seed suppliers.
Recommended Varieties
This is a classic 'Frisee' type of Endive with fine serrated leaves and a light-coloured heart
Compact and uniform with very finely cut leaves – used in top restaurants.
A tasty, hardy, Batavian or Escarole type for winter sowing. Resistant to ‘bolting’.
Sowing
Endive is easy to grow from seed, either indoors or outdoors once temperatures are warm enough. The minimum soil temperature for germination is 15°C (59°F), but 20–22°C (68–72°F) is ideal.
Endive grows best in a sunny location, although it will also tolerate partial shade in summer. It grows well in most types of soil, as long as conditions don’t get very dry or stay waterlogged. Dig in plenty of garden compost before sowing, and mulch the surface between rows, to improve the soil structure and prevent drying out.
Sow endive seeds outdoors from spring to late summer once the soil is warm enough. Alternatively, sow under cloche or fleece, or start seeds off indoors. Sow small batches every few weeks for continuous harvests. Sowing times vary between varieties, so check packets for precise details.
For winter harvests, sow Batavian or escarole varieties in mid- to late August, covering with cloches or fleece from autumn onwards.
Sowing indoors
Sowing indoors allows you to get a head start and earlier harvests. It also keeps plants out of reach of until they are larger and more robust.
You can make your first sowings indoors in pots or modules from February, then transplant the young plants outdoors from late spring. Take care to harden off plants carefully, to keep them growing consistently.
Endive plants tend to bolt (start flowering prematurely) if exposed to temperatures lower than 5°C (41°F) for too long, so choose bolt-resistant cultivars for early sowings and keep them indoors until well into spring.
You can continue sowing small batches in trays every few weeks through spring and summer for transplanting outdoors, or sow direct outdoors from April (see below).
Sowing outdoors
You can sow endive seeds outdoors from April through to August, 1cm (½in) deep in rows 30cm (12in) apart. Avoid sowing too early outdoors, as endive is prone to bolting if exposed to cold when young.
Thin out the seedlings gradually as they grow, to a final spacing of 23–38cm (9–13in) apart, depending on the eventual size. Add the thinnings to salads.
Endive seeds can also be sown in containers of multi-purpose compost, then thinned out to a similar final spacing. A 40cm (16in) container can accommodate up to three full-sized plants or six smaller cut and come again plants.
Plant Care
Endives should be regularly watered, weeded and mulched to prevent drying out. Mature heads can be blanched, to reduce bitterness, before harvesting.
Watering
Water endive seedlings and plants regularly, especially in free-draining soil and warm weather. Dry soil can cause plants to bolt (or start flowering), which puts an end to harvests. Regular weeding and mulching helps to slow drying out.
When growing in containers, take particular care to water regularly, as the small amount of compost will dry out rapidly, especially in summer.
Mulching
Apply a thick layer of mulch, such as well-rotted manure or garden compost, around endive plants to help hold moisture in the soil and deter weeds.
Feeding
Endive doesn’t generally require feeding, but on light soils or when growing in a container, you can apply a general-purpose liquid feed fortnightly in summer.
Weeding
Keep endive plants weed-free, to reduce competition for water, light and nutrients.
Blanching
Once mature, endive plants can be blanched – or covered to exclude light – to reduce their bitter flavour and give the leaves a more delicate, tender texture. Make sure the leaves are dry before blanching, to avoid rotting.
Blanching can be done in three main ways:
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Tie the head of leaves loosely together with raffia or soft twine
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Place a tile, piece of cardboard or a dinner plate over the centre of the plant
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Over the whole head with a bucket or a large plastic pot with any drainage holes covered
Blanching usually takes about two weeks, but in cooler autumn weather may take longer – when ready, the central leaves should be much paler and tender. During blanching, check plants regularly for slugs and snails.
Blanch only a few plants at a time, as they deteriorate rapidly afterwards, especially in warm or rainy weather, so need to be used promptly.
Winter protection
Endive can be grown as a winter crop, if you choose the more robust Batavian or escarole varieties. Sow in August, either outdoors or in a greenhouse border or container. Those sown outdoors should be covered with cloche or fleece from October onwards.
Harvesting
If sown regularly, endive can be harvested from spring to autumn as cut and come again salad leaves or from summer into winter as mature heads. Curled varieties are grown for summer harvests, while more robust broad-leaved types are suitable for winter cropping.
For tips on blanching endive, see above.
Whole heads are ready to harvest about three months after sowing. Cut the stem with a sharp knife, then remove the tough outer leaves. It’s the tender, pale leaves in the centre that have the best flavour and texture.
You can pick cut-and-come-again leaves from young endive plants only a month or so after sowing. They should provide at least a couple of pickings. See our guide to cut and come again salads.
Problems
Endive is easy to grow from seed, but needs warm temperatures to germinate well.
Protect seedlings and plants from slugs and snails. When blanching mature heads, check under the covering regularly, as slugs and snails love the tender blanched leaves.
Endive has a tendency to bolt (start to flower) in hot or dry weather, or if exposed to low temperatures when young. This puts an end to harvests. So try not to let plants go short of water, and choose bolt-resistant varieties for early sowings.
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