Permascaping, by Homegrown Foods
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Assorted cool-season vegetables and herbs

Cool-season produce

Endive and escarole

Cichorium endivia

Also known as Endive · Escarole · Curly endive · Frisée · Frisee

Curly endive and broad-leaf escarole are forms of the same crop. Harvest before hot weather makes leaves more bitter.

EdibleCool-season crop
Growing spaceVegetable bed
Climate fitUrban core · USDA 9b–10a · Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b · Desert outskirts · USDA 8b–9b
Crop familyAsteraceae (daisy)
Life cycleAnnual crop
Phoenix planting windowSeptember–January.
How to plantDirect sow; transplants can establish once the weather cools.
Plant spacing10–12 in
FrostTolerates light frost once established; cover during a hard freeze.
Time to harvestAbout 80–120 days for full heads; baby leaves sooner
SuccessionSow small batches every 2–3 weeks while the planting window remains open.
Special categoriesEDIBLE
Typical harvestWinter through early spring for mature heads.

Before you plant

These conditions determine whether it will thrive.

Cold hardinessCover in a hard freeze

Takes light frost without trouble. Cover it during a hard freeze.

Heat toleranceNeeds afternoon shade

Turns noticeably more bitter as days warm and bolts in spring heat. Plan to harvest by March in Phoenix. The calendar stops sowing in January.

Sources: extension.arizona.edu, ipm.ucanr.edu

Right plant, right place

Will Endive and escarole grow at your Arizona property?

Curly endive and broad-leaf escarole are forms of the same crop. Harvest before hot weather makes leaves more bitter.

Best regional fit: Urban core · USDA 9b–10a, Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b, Desert outskirts · USDA 8b–9b.

Light

Sun exposure

Full winter sun; give leafy crops afternoon protection during warm fall and spring weather.

Water

Irrigation

Keep the vegetable root zone evenly moist with regular irrigation; adjust to rain, soil, and temperature rather than using a fixed summer schedule.

Planting & stewardship

How to help Endive and escarole thrive

  1. 1

    Prepare a fertile, well-drained bed and keep seed or transplants evenly moist through establishment.

  2. 2

    Thin to the final spacing; crowding reduces harvest quality.

  3. 3

    Watch for aphids and caterpillars and protect sensitive growth from a hard freeze.

  4. 4

    Harvest before sustained spring heat causes bolting or poor quality.

Read the horticultural reference ↗

Read the growing reference ↗ Planting dates can shift with cultivar, weather, and your yard’s microclimate.

Keep exploring

More plants for this system