Chicory, Wild Form (Cichorium intybus var. intybus), packet of 100 seeds, organic
$2.95
Family: Aster (Asteraceae)
Hardy to Zones 3 to 7
Native to Europe, North Africa, Asia. Herbaceous perennial flowering light blue to a height of 3 feet. Plant prefers gravel, dry waysides or waste places. Root dug and dried as a coffee substitute. Fresh leaves in salad are a nutrient dense bitter digestive. Sow seed on surface fall or spring and thin to 1 foot apart.
100 seeds per packet, Certified Organically Grown
In stock
Laura M (verified owner) –
These wild form chicories vary quite a bit, and I enjoyed selecting my favorite plants (I liked the ones that had a leafier growth habit). All plants were quite bitter, too bitter for my palate to include in a regular salad. Perfect for using as an actual bitter before a meal, I like chewing on a leaf before lunch. Some bolted the first year, many more the second, and some are bolting for the first time now (third year). I will be sure to always have a few chicory plants tucked away here and there so they can send up their beautiful wispy flowers.
Upvote if this was helpful (1) Downvote if this was not helpful (0) Watch Unwatch Flag for removal
Question
raebratzz –
Hi! I was wondering how this chicory differs from the cover crop variety?
Thank you!
Upvote if this was helpful (0) Downvote if this was not helpful (0) Watch Unwatch Flag for removal
Richo Cech –
Hi, The cover crop chicory is a select cultivar–leafy, with high protein content. The wild form is just that–the heavily taprooted native land race as nature made it. Richo
Upvote if this was helpful (2) Downvote if this was not helpful (0) Flag for removal
Raaya (verified owner) –
I live in zone 8b (Whidbey Island WA), do you reckon I can successfully grow it?
Is it deer resistant or should I fence it from our hungry deer neighbors?
Upvote if this was helpful (0) Downvote if this was not helpful (0) Flag for removal
Richo Cech –
Hello Raaya, Chicory does grow on Whidby Island and it is pretty close to the #1 preferred deer food on the planet, second only to broccoli. Richo
Upvote if this was helpful (0) Downvote if this was not helpful (0) Flag for removal
Raaya Adato (verified owner) –
Oh! Haha, well maybe then I’ll plant some for them too so they’d be less keen on munching off of our apple tree leaves and rose bushes… Thank you for the response! I wonder then if it will do well in pots? if so what would be the minimum size for the pots?
Upvote if this was helpful (0) Downvote if this was not helpful (0) Flag for removal
Richo Cech –
Taprooted plants usually aren’t very happy in pots, although a deep pot might be OK, and if the plant gets a chance to send its root out the drainage hole to find the real dirt then it will once again be happy.
Upvote if this was helpful (0) Downvote if this was not helpful (0) Flag for removal
Tiffiny –
How long are the seeds good for?
Upvote if this was helpful (0) Downvote if this was not helpful (0) Flag for removal
Richo Cech –
hi tiffany, 3 years in dry, cool storage. richo
Upvote if this was helpful (0) Downvote if this was not helpful (0) Flag for removal
Shannon –
Hi Richo–are these plants annual or perennial in the PNW (I’m in zone 8)? Will they self seed?
Upvote if this was helpful (0) Downvote if this was not helpful (0) Flag for removal
Richo Cech –
hi shannon, if you click on the photo that gives you the monograph.
these will self-seed, thats how they move around the globe, taproooted and herbaceous perennial. richo
Upvote if this was helpful (0) Downvote if this was not helpful (0) Flag for removal
Cheyenne –
How does this differ from the “italian dandelion” form?
Upvote if this was helpful (0) Downvote if this was not helpful (0) Flag for removal
Richo Cech –
this will have more lobed leaves, more tomentose, less leaf productive, more root productive. the italian dandelion chicory is what you encounter in the grocery store sold as “dandelion greens”
Upvote if this was helpful (1) Downvote if this was not helpful (0) Flag for removal