Escarole: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar

Choose an escarole variety suited to your climate and cropping season. Sowing under cover can prepare a spring crop or, in summer, young plants for autumn. Follow the seed packet rather than a fixed calendar: cold spring conditions and other stresses can encourage bolting. Starting plants under cover does not by itself guarantee a successful harvest.

Use clean pots or modules with drainage holes and fill them with seed compost. Sow a small number of seeds in each module, shallowly at the depth indicated on the packet, then cover lightly. Water gently and keep the compost moist without making it waterlogged. Around 18 °C can be a useful reference temperature, adjusted to the variety; avoid excessive heat beneath glass or plastic.

After emergence, provide good light and ventilate the shelter. Keep sturdy seedlings rather than allowing them to become stretched or remain rootbound in a small container. When they have several true leaves and roots holding the compost together, gradually acclimatise them to outdoor conditions before planting. Avoid moving them abruptly into cold soil or planting immediately before a forecast frost.

For outdoor sowing, choose an escarole variety suited to the season and your climate. In temperate regions, late spring or summer sowings often provide autumn crops; some varieties suit other periods. Sowing too late can leave insufficient growing time before cold weather. Treat the packet instructions as your guide rather than assuming that spring or autumn are universal sowing dates.

Prepare a bright position in sun, with light shade during intense heat if appropriate, and fertile soil that retains moisture while draining well. Remove weeds and break down surface clods without assuming that deep digging is necessary. Add mature compost if the soil needs it; an already rich bed does not automatically require more fertiliser.

Sow thinly and shallowly at the packet depth, cover lightly and water gently. For mature rosettes, allow roughly 30–40 cm between rows and thin to a similar distance, adjusted to the variety. Keep the seedbed moist without standing water. Thin carefully without damaging the remaining seedlings and watch for slugs. Harvest timing depends on the variety and conditions rather than a guaranteed two months after sowing.

Plant escarole suited to your climate and season, using sturdy young plants with several true leaves and roots holding the compost together. Gradually acclimatise plants raised under cover to outdoor conditions. Avoid planting immediately before a forecast frost or during intense heat. Timing depends on the variety and intended harvest, rather than spring being the only suitable period.

Choose a bright position in sun or light shade during strong heat, with fertile soil that retains moisture but drains well. Remove weeds and loosen the planting area. Add mature compost if the soil needs it, without placing fresh manure against the young plants. Water the rootballs before removing them from their containers so they do not dry out during planting.

Make holes large enough for the rootballs and plant at their original depth, keeping the growing centre clear. For mature rosettes, allow about 30–40 cm between plants and rows, adjusting to the variety. Return the soil, firm gently and water to settle it around the roots. During establishment, check moisture and protect seedlings from slugs. Avoid allowing the rootballs to dry out or leaving the soil waterlogged.

Harvest escarole when the rosette reaches the size you want, before bolting makes the leaves tougher. Maturity varies with the variety, sowing date and conditions; two to three months is a guide rather than a guarantee. Depending on the crop, harvest may fall in autumn or another season. You do not need to wait for winter simply because escarole is associated with winter salads.

For individual leaves, take only some outer leaves from a well developed plant, keeping the growing centre and sufficient foliage intact. Partial picking does not guarantee continuous production. For a whole rosette, cut cleanly at the base without getting soil into the heart. A cut flush with the ground that removes the growing point cannot promise another escarole head.

Harvest when the leaves are fresh, for example in the morning, and handle them without crushing them. Remove damaged leaves and refrigerate the crop promptly, protected from drying but without standing water. Use it soon and check its condition rather than relying on a fixed week of storage. Wash thoroughly before use. Adjust the final harvests to forecast cold and the actual tolerance of the variety.