Witloof chicory · Nizhniy Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia
When to plant witloof chicory in Nizhniy Novgorod
Main outdoor window
17 May - 7 Jun
The window this page is built around.
Timed from last spring frost
3 May
In Nizhniy Novgorod, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
1 Nov - 31 Mar
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Nizhniy Novgorod
Each window is a range, not a single day. Earlier in the range buys you a longer season; later in it buys you a safer one.
Sow direct
17 May - 7 Jun
Two weeks after your last frost.
Harvest
1 Nov - 31 Mar
Witloof chicory through the year
Against the frost risk in Nizhniy Novgorod
Why these dates
Sow around two weeks after the last frost and leave the plant to build a root all season. Lift after the first frosts, trim the leaves, and force in darkness at about 12C.
The root is hardy to about -8C and a frost before lifting is traditionally thought to improve forcing, so there is no rush to get it up.
Seed packets and extension guides express timing as weeks either side of the last spring frost, because that is the only reference point that travels. Witloof chicory are timed for direct sowing 2 weeks after it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for Nizhniy Novgorod.
The median frost-free season here is 155 days, against 150 to 180 days to maturity for this crop counted from sowing. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.
Also in Nizhniy Novgorod
Other vegetables to time
Growing witloof chicory in Nizhniy Novgorod
When should I plant witloof chicory in Nizhniy Novgorod?
Aim for 17 May - 7 Jun in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 2-23 Jun - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When will witloof chicory be ready to harvest in Nizhniy Novgorod?
Expect to start picking around 1 Nov - 31 Mar, based on 150 to 180 days to maturity from the planting date calculated for this location.
How much frost will witloof chicory tolerate?
The root is hardy to about -8C and a frost before lifting is traditionally thought to improve forcing, so there is no rush to get it up.