Early Carrots Followed by Endive
Bunching carrots come out in July and hand the bed to endive, the classic autumn salad.
Season timeline
- Sow the early carrots
- Sow endive in trays
- Pull the bunching carrots
- Clear the carrot rows
- Transplant the endive
- Harvest the endive
- Clear the bed
Bed layout
Crops in this bed
Step by step
- Sow the early carrotsMar
Sow an early bunching variety thinly in rows across the bed.
- Sow endive in traysJun
Start endive in modules in June; June-sown plants heart up in autumn.
- Pull the bunching carrotsJun–Jul
Harvest whole bunches while the roots are young and sweet.
- Clear the carrot rowsJul
Pull the last roots and rake the bed level for the endive.
- Transplant the endiveJul–Aug
Plant endive shallowly into the freed rows; buried hearts rot.
- Harvest the endiveSep–Nov
Cut the heads from September; light frosts only improve the taste.
- Clear the bedNov
Remove the last plants before hard frosts and tidy the bed for winter.
Harvest calendar
| Crop | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrot | Carrot: Jun | Carrot: Jul | ||||||||||
| Endive | Endive: Sep | Endive: Oct | Endive: Nov |
The bed over the season
- Carrot · Sowing
- Carrot · Growing
- Carrot · Harvest
- Endive · Sowing
- Endive · Harvest
Why this combination works
Early carrots sown in March are pulled as bunches by mid-summer, so the bed never carries a tired crop. Endive transplanted into the freed rows loves the shortening days, hearts up in the mild autumn and stands well into November — extending the salad season long after lettuce has faded.
Tips
Mix carrot seed with sand for an even sowing. Cover the carrot rows with fleece against the first carrot-fly flight. Tie the endive heads loosely a week before harvest to blanch the hearts. Water the endive evenly; drought makes it bitter.