Forcing endives: from garden roots to winter chicons

Late October, the endive sown in spring reaches the moment that decides everything: lifting the roots before hard frosts, preparing them, then forcing them in the dark. It is the autumn job that turns a plain root into crisp chicons all winter — and there are four documented ways to do it, from the garden trench to the "pot-on-pot". The complete guide, with the figures.

Starting point: roots raised in the garden

Forcing endives are sown exclusively in open ground, from 15 May to 15 June — no autumn sowing is possible, that was settled in spring. They grew in rows 25-30 cm apart, thinned to 8-12 cm on the line, on a preferably loamy soil without stones (which fork the roots) and without waterlogging.

Lifting is done with a digging fork before the hard frosts — the endive is more frost-tender than its cousin the wild chicory. The moment is now, late October-November. After lifting, the roots dry on the ground for one to two days to delay regrowth.

Preparing the roots, step by step

• Cut the leaves 1 cm above the collar (2.5-5 cm by the other school), sparing the central bud — that is what will grow.
• Remove the secondary rootlets and trim the taproot tip if needed.
• Keep only sound roots, 3-5 cm in diameter at the collar. Deformed ones give misshapen chicons.

While awaiting forcing, they keep under a straw mattress in the garden, or 1 to 3 months in a cool room in a box of sand and peat mixed — 5 °C for mid-season varieties.

Growing calendar