Growing Belgian endives your self.



In a market stall where all kind of garden articles are displayed, I discover some thick roots, which look like Belgian endive roots. Should I buy some? Imagine, growing my own Belgian endives! I have never done that.

I ask the seller how to grow them. It appears to be not that complicated. The roots should be planted in some soil and grown in a dark environment and the temperature should be around 15 degrees. Mmm, dark and on top of that quiet warm during the winter. That is going to be a problem. The seller suggests: "Maybe you can grow them in the meter cupboard". Well, that is not an option, because my 'hyacinths on glass' are already growing there.

I buy the roots anyway and trust a solution will come to me.

The roots definitely cannot be grown inside the house. So I will have to make it happen in the barn. One thing though, there is no heating over there! Temperatures inside the barn are the same as outside. The seller told me that in colder conditions it would take longer for the roots to grow. Well, I eat Belgian endives salad every week, so it does not matter to me if I harvest a little later.

Next I will have to find a dark place. I think about putting two terracotta pots together upside down. Nice and dark! But then my eye falls on the old wooden barrel. Inside it is dark and moreover, wood insulates.

I plant the roots in a plastic container and cut the leaves to two cm above the roots. I water them, put the container in the barrel and put the lid on.

A week later….. out of the roots I planted some additional tiny white roots have appeared. I wonder, should I have planted the roots a little bit deeper? Maybe one of you readers has some experience in this field?

With the dropping temperatures predicted for the coming weeks, I probably will have to be very patient before harvesting my crop.

So for the time being I still will have to buy my Belgian endives from the supermarket!




Ingredients to make a Belgian endives salad. Add some mayonaise.


The roots are planted.


Do I need to plant deeper?


Put the lid on the barrel..... and it is dark.


No barrel? Use your terra cotta pots.

New followers a warm welcome.

Comments

  1. Dear Hetty,
    what a nice experiment! I have never tried to grow Belgian endives, but I am growing winter vegetables on my terrace for the first time. I wish you good luck with your experiment!
    Best wishes,
    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  2. How cool - I had no idea how to do this.
    Thanks for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2017/11/very-zen.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. Interesting - who would know? Good luck with your experiement

    ReplyDelete

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