How to Grow Radicchio
Radicchio At a Glance
Difficulty
Moderate
Category
Vegetable
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -12°C
Plant Family
Asteraceae
Growing Season
Cool Season
Plant Lifecycle
Biennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
For the best red heads, sow in early summer, about 2 months after your last frost, so the heads form in the cool of fall. Sow the seeds 0.5 cm deep in short rows and keep the soil damp: they sprout in 7 to 14 days. Thin them (pull the extras) so each plant has 20 cm. You can also sow about 4 weeks before your last frost for a summer crop, but heat can make those plants bolt (rush to flower) before they form heads.
Radicchio is a kind of chicory, and cool fall weather and light frosts are what turn its green leaves red, close them into a tight head and soften their bitterness. It handles frost well, so you can keep picking heads late into fall.
When To Start
First chance to plant
30 Days Before Last Frost
Last chance to plant
60 Days Before First Frost
When should you plant Radicchio?
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Your Radicchio Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Radicchio Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Sow radicchio now so heads form in the cool of fall
60 days after your last frost· every year
Cut radicchio heads when firm and red inside
1 week before your first frost· every year· optional
Did you water your radicchio seedlings today? Keep the top of the soil damp until they are up and growing.
About 1 days after you plant it
Time to thin the radicchio seedlings: snip the extras at soil level so each one has room to grow.
About 24 days after you plant it
Your radicchio is growing! Thin the plants so each one has room to form a head.
About 37 days after you plant it
Your radicchio is nearly there! Heads tend to firm up and turn red best as the nights cool down.
About 61 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your radicchio.
About 70 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Radicchio's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 7–14 days
Growing Tips
- 1Grow radicchio in full sun in fall, with a little afternoon shade while summer is still hot.
- 2Mix compost into the soil before sowing so the plants grow steadily.
- 3Water evenly so the soil never dries out, since dry spells make the leaves tough and extra bitter.
- 4Feed with compost tea every 3 to 4 weeks while the plants are growing leaves.
- 5Pick slugs off at dusk, and cover young plants with row cover if flea beetles (tiny jumping black bugs) chew holes in the leaves.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~70
Days to Maturity
30 cm
Mature Height
20 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
30 days
When to Pick
Harvest heads when firm and full color
How to Harvest
- 1Radicchio is ready about 70 days after sowing, when the head feels firm and the inner leaves are red.
- 2Do not worry if the outer leaves stay green and loose, since they protect the head inside.
- 3Cut the head at its base with a sharp knife, leaving the root in the ground.
- 4In mild weather the stump often grows a few small new heads, so leave it for a second picking.
- 5Peel off the outer leaves and keep the heads in a bag in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- 6Soak the leaves in cold water for 10 minutes, or grill them, to soften the bitterness.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Radicchio usually flowers in its second year, after a winter in the ground, though some plants bolt in their first summer. Its blue flowers are visited by bees and it crosses with other chicories, including wild chicory along roadsides, so keep it about 800 m from flowering chicory if you can. Hybrid F1 seeds will not grow true, so save only from a variety that is not a hybrid. The seeds ripen inside small, hard heads along the stems, so cut the stems when most heads are brown, dry them in a paper bag, then crush them to free the seeds. Store them labelled somewhere cool, dark and dry, where they keep about 5 years.
Seed Production
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