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

Cool-season produce

Radicchio

Cichorium intybus var. foliosum

Also known as Red chicory

A grocery-store chicory distinct from endive. Heading and color can be uneven in warm spells; harvest loose leaves if heads fail to form.

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 windowOctober–December as a conservative cool-season trial.
How to plantDirect sow or transplant; choose a heading variety suited to mild winters.
Plant spacing10–12 in
FrostTolerates light frost once established; cover during a hard freeze.
Time to harvestVariety-dependent; follow the seed packet for head maturity
SuccessionTrial a few small plantings; timing is variety-dependent.
Special categoriesEDIBLE
Typical harvestCool winter and early spring leaves or heads.

Before you plant

These conditions determine whether it will thrive.

Cold hardinessCover in a hard freeze

Cool nights help it color up, and light frost is fine. Cover during a hard freeze.

Heat toleranceNeeds afternoon shade

Heads poorly and gets very bitter in warm weather, then bolts. Harvest by March in Phoenix, before the 80s settle in.

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

Right plant, right place

Will Radicchio grow at your Arizona property?

A grocery-store chicory distinct from endive. Heading and color can be uneven in warm spells; harvest loose leaves if heads fail to form.

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 Radicchio 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