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.
Dear Hetty,
ReplyDeletewhat 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
How cool - I had no idea how to do this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2017/11/very-zen.html
Interesting - who would know? Good luck with your experiement
ReplyDelete