Presto Radicchio Hybrid

CHICORY-RADICCHIO (Cichorium intybus)

Approx. 19,000 - 23, 000 seeds per oz/28 g: 250,000 seeds per lb/454 g Approx. 50, 000 plants per acre

A beautiful ruby red gourmet salad vegetable with prominent contrasting white ribs, similar in shape to a small head lettuce. Heads are softball to bowling ball size, plants produce rusty red wrapper leaves. The new Chioggia types used in North America are much more uniform than previous varieties imported from Italy and France, but they still are a bit unstable (not uniform) when exposed to extreme stress especially during hot dry weather.

CULTURE: This species loves cool weather and should only be grown during the early spring and fall like lettuce or spinach. Seed is similar in size to lettuce. Although some growers have had some success with transplants in cooler areas we have had the best luck by direct seeding like fall lettuce (June 20th - July 5th) in the Niagara Falls area. Only 50-70% will produce marketable firm heads, 15-20% will be loose heads, the rest just leaves, depending on daytime temperatures and the availability of water. Use successive plantings, 7 days apart to avoid the chances of severe weather stress ruining the whole crop. Space seed like lettuce and harvest crops just before frost in late September. Late summer and early fall crops can be successful when night-time temps. are cool (below 60°F/16°C). Add 14-21 days to maturity if direct seeding methods are used. Days to maturity in our catalog are quoted from transplants.

DIRECT SEEDING RATE: oz/28 g sows 3,300 ft; 8.7 oz/247 g per acre @ 3 seeds per 8 in/20 cm of row, in rows 18 in/46 cm apart.

TRANSPLANTS: Approx. 10,500 plants per oz/28 g - matures 75 days from transplants or 90-95 days from direct seeding.

SPRING: Sow indoors about Feb. 15th - Mar. 1st. Grow plants cool like lettuce. Transplant outdoors in mid to late April after hardening plants off to withstand cool nights. Sow outdoors direct Apr. 10th 1/8 in/3 mm deep. Thin to 12 in/31 cm apart.