On this page you will see an overview of all the Chicosem chicory witloof hybrids. Click in the menu on the left side for specific cultivation information for all the varieties. Click on the image at the right for the forcing-calender.

Forcing-season calendar

The cells in the forcing-season calendar (click image to enlarge) show the months of forced cultivation (the harvesting period for the chicory heads).
The forcing season can be brought forward by around 14 days by sowing early-season varieties a little sooner under blue film. (See also root cultivation: sowing).
It is also possible to force early-season varieties longer by delaying the sowing and by storing the roots at optimal temperatures of approximately -1.5° C (orange).
Storage temperatures of around 0° C are sufficient for forcing until January. From mid-January it is always best to work with roots from the freezer. Sometimes you can win a few weeks by not freezing some of the mid-season and late-season varieties.
The information in the forcing-season calendar is based on Dutch climatic conditions in the northern hemisphere and should be interpreted accordingly for climatic conditions in the southern hemisphere.

Conversion for other latitudes

The above information can be transplanted into a global context by observing to a few basic rules.
During root cultivation, the early-season varieties require fewer days of growth than the late-season varieties. The late-season varieties are therefore always dug up later in the autumn. The early-season varieties need only a short pre-cooling period (before forcing) of 10-14 days. By then, the roots are sufficiently vernalised to produce sturdy, well-formed heads. Varieties for mid-season, late-season and very-late-season forcing require much longer cooling periods (up to 6 months), as shown in the table below:

 * based on dutch climate conditions