Crop type: Chicory
Cichorium intybus ‘Pan di Zucchero’
Common name: Sugarloaf chicory ‘Pan di Zucchero’
Crop slug: chicory
This Allotment Pro editorial draft summarises the cited RHS cultivar profile. Check the source and adjust cultivation decisions for local conditions.RHS cultivar profile
1 - Overview
‘Pan di Zucchero’ is a non-forcing sugarloaf chicory producing upright heads of light-green leaves with prominent white veins around a crisp, tightly packed heart. Medium to large plants carry darker green outer leaves that close over the centre and blanch it well. The tall head resembles a large Cos lettuce and has a sweeter flavour than red radicchio, while retaining chicory’s pleasant bitter tang.
The cultivar holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit. It is harvested in autumn, normally from September to November, and can be eaten raw in salads or lightly cooked. Young foliage is also suitable for baby-leaf harvests.
2 - Size
- Ultimate height
- 0.5–1 metre
- Ultimate spread
- 0.1–0.5 metre
- Time to ultimate size
- 1–2 years
Although botanically perennial, it is cultivated as an annual vegetable. Thin or transplant plants 25–30cm apart so their tall columnar heads can develop fully.
3 - Growing conditions
- Suitable soils
- Chalk, loam and sand
- Moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral or alkaline
Grow in fertile ground that holds steady moisture but drains freely. Improve the bed with organic matter before sowing, and water during dry periods to prevent bolting and excessive bitterness.
4 - Position and hardiness
- Light
- Full sun
- Aspect
- East-, south- or west-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- Hardiness
- H5 — hardy in most UK locations even in severe winters, approximately -15°C to -10°C
A bright position promotes firm upright growth. Shelter protects the large outer leaves, and the cultivar’s hardiness supports a reliable autumn harvest.
5 - Colour and seasonal interest
Dark-green outer leaves surround a tall, tapered light-green head. Broad white midribs run through the smooth folded foliage, while the enclosed heart becomes pale, crisp and tender through natural self-blanching. The cultivar remains green rather than developing the burgundy colour of radicchio.
6 - Botanical details
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Native to Great Britain and Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Columnar, upright and clump forming
- Name status
- Accepted
- RHS recognition
- Award of Garden Merit
Genus
Cichorium includes annual and perennial plants with toothed or lobed leaves and loose branched stems bearing dandelion-like, usually blue flowers in summer.
7 - How to grow
Cultivation
Grow in fertile, moist but well-drained soil in full sun. Sow directly 1.5cm deep from April to August and thin seedlings to 25–30cm apart. Alternatively sow indoors in modules from March, harden plants off and transplant during summer.
Maintain even moisture and allow outer leaves to fold naturally around the heart. Harvest complete heads between September and November. Discard coarse outer foliage and use the pale crisp heart. A cut stump may produce a smaller second crop.
Propagation
Propagate by seed.
Pruning
No pruning is required. Remove damaged leaves and cut the whole head at harvest.
Pests
May be susceptible to aphids, slugs and snails. Protect seedlings and inspect between folded leaves as heads close.
Diseases
Generally disease-free. Good spacing and removal of decaying outer leaves reduce the chance of rot in damp autumn weather.