Crop type: Endive
Cichorium endivia ‘Natacha’
Common name: Endive ‘Natacha’
Crop slug: endive
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
‘Natacha’ is a broad-leaved endive, or escarole, producing heavy heads of green leaves around a creamy-white heart. Its comparatively smooth, substantial foliage makes it visually and texturally distinct from finely cut frisée cultivars. The leaves can be harvested young on a cut-and-come-again basis or grown on to form mature heads for blanching.
Good resistance to bolting supports summer production. The cultivar also withstands cold well, making it useful for winter sowing and capable of overwintering in mild climates. The RHS profile displays the Award of Garden Merit.
2 - Size
- Ultimate height
- 0.1–0.5 metre
- Ultimate spread
- 0.1–0.5 metre
- Time to ultimate size
- 1 year
Give each plant sufficient space for its broad leaves to overlap into a dense, weighty head and for air to move around the rosette.
3 - Growing conditions
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Soil pH
- Acid or neutral
Use fertile soil that holds steady moisture without remaining waterlogged. Consistent growth encourages tender leaves and a well-filled heart, especially when mature plants are being prepared for blanching.
4 - Position and hardiness
- Light
- Full sun or partial shade
- Aspect
- South- or west-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed or sheltered
- Hardiness
- H3 — suitable for mild UK districts and protected winter cropping, with some ability to withstand cold
Full sun is suitable in cool weather. In midsummer, light shade can moderate heat and help maintain leaf quality. Its bolt resistance is valuable in summer, but regular watering remains important.
5 - Colour and seasonal interest
Broad green outer leaves enclose a contrasting creamy-white heart. The low rosette becomes increasingly full as it approaches maturity; blanching the completed head strengthens the pale central colour and softens bitterness before harvest.
6 - Botanical details
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Native to Great Britain and Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Bushy
- Name status
- Unresolved
Genus
Cichorium contains leafy annuals and biennials as well as perennial species, often with blue daisy-like flowers. Cultivated endives are selected for edible rosettes, ranging from finely curled frisée forms to broad-leaved escaroles such as ‘Natacha’.
7 - How to grow
Cultivation
Grow in fertile, moist but well-drained soil. Provide full sun through cooler periods and light shade during midsummer. Maintain an even water supply while the broad leaves and central heart are filling.
For mature heads, blanch for 10–14 days shortly before harvest, keeping the leaves dry while excluding light from the centre. Alternatively, pick young leaves on a cut-and-come-again basis so the plant can produce further growth. Its combination of summer bolt resistance and tolerance of cold broadens the sowing and harvesting window; overwinter only where local conditions are sufficiently mild or protection can be provided.
Propagation
Propagate by seed.
Suggested locations
- Allotment or vegetable bed
- Kitchen garden
- Protected winter-cropping bed
Pruning
No pruning is required. Cut young leaves carefully for regrowth or harvest the complete blanched head.
Pests
May be susceptible to slugs, snails and aphids. Check the sheltered inner leaves as well as leaf undersides, particularly while the head is closing.
Diseases
The cultivar is generally disease-free. Avoid trapping moisture in tied or covered heads during blanching, and maintain spacing around the broad foliage.