When to Plant Endive in Brisbane, Subtropical Guide
Sow February to July. Right now in October it is out of season. The next sowing month is February.
Grow Endive in your space
- Planting window
- Sow from February to June and plant out up to July, for autumn and winter harvests. The best results come from planting between March and...
- Days to harvest
- 50 days
- Sunlight
- Full sun in cool weather. Part shade (afternoon) in warmer zones to reduce bitterness and bolting.
- Water needs
- Consistent moisture essential for tender leaves. Water deeply 2-3 times per week. Avoid...
- Spacing
- 30cm apart, 40cm between rows
- Soil pH
- 5.5-7.0
Published · Last reviewed · By GardenBuddy.au
Growing advice is reviewed by hand. Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
This Endive guide is written for the Subtropical zone, which takes in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Endive is a cool-season salad green in the chicory family, available as curly-leaf (frisee) and broad-leaf (escarole/Batavian) types. It adds a distinctive, slightly bitter flavour to salads and is more heat-tolerant than lettuce. Blanching the inner leaves by tying or covering reduces bitterness. Well-suited to Australian autumn and winter gardens.
See what grows now in your own postcode
Planting Calendar for Subtropical
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | S | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | T | - | - | - | - | - |
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
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Current Growing Conditions
Soil temperature: 21.8°C (optimal range: 15–25°C) ✓ Ready to plant
That figure is read off our own weather station in South East Queensland at 14:55 yesterday, not a model.
What this month normally looks like
In October the Subtropical zone normally runs 27°C by day and 15°C overnight, with about 77 mm of rain over 7 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was -0.2°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 33 postcodes, SILO.
How to Grow Endive in Subtropical Australia
When to Plant
Sow from February to June and plant out up to July, for autumn and winter harvests. The best results come from planting between March and May.
- Soil
- Well-drained, fertile soil enriched with compost. Tolerates a range of soils but performs best in loamy, moisture-retentive ground.
- pH Range
- 5.5-7.0
- Sunlight
- Full sun in cool weather. Part shade (afternoon) in warmer zones to reduce bitterness and bolting.
- Spacing
- 30cm apart, 40cm between rows
- Watering
- Consistent moisture essential for tender leaves. Water deeply 2-3 times per week. Avoid wetting foliage to prevent rot during blanching. Drip irrigation ideal.
Companion plants: Chives, Radish, Carrot, Bean
Avoid planting near: No major antagonists known
Grow before, grow after
Endive belongs with the leafy greens, the leafy greens and brassicas turn of a four turn bed rotation.
- Grow before it
- Legumes (Beans - Dwarf, Peas, Broad Beans)
- Grow after it
- Fruiting crops (Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini)
Give the bed 3 turns before leafy greens go back in. Leaf crops want the nitrogen the legumes left behind.
Subtropical Growing Tips for Endive
Recommended Varieties
- Green Curled
- Broad-leaved Batavian
- Tres Fine Maraichere
Key Challenges
- Bolting if warm spells occur
- Slugs in wet weather
- Bitterness increases with heat
Pro Tips
- Plant in part shade if February start to reduce bolt risk
- Blanch by tying outer leaves 2-3 weeks before harvest for milder flavour
- Excellent winter salad green for SEQ
Harvesting Endive
When ready: Plant is full and dense (30-40cm diameter). Inner leaves should be pale green to yellow-white if blanched. For baby leaf, harvest at 10-15cm.
How to harvest: Cut entire plant at soil level. Or harvest outer leaves progressively for cut-and-come-again. For blanching, tie outer leaves and harvest entire head after 2-3 weeks.
Where to next
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Open the planting dashboard Join GardenBuddy.auCommon Questions About Endive
When do you plant endive in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Mar to Jul
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Feb to Jul
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Jan to May, Sep to Dec
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Jan to Apr, Aug to Dec
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Jan to Apr, Aug to Dec
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Feb to Jul
- Mediterranean (Perth): Feb to May, Aug to Sep
Does endive grow all year round in Brisbane?
No. In the Subtropical zone the planting months are Feb to Jul. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box under the heading and the page tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Subtropical zone, Brisbane is its reference city.