Raddichio

Last year I purchased Cicoria seeds, and didn't realize it was also Radicchio.  The packaging was from Europe with not a whole of information that was in a dozen languages.  Although I expected the two species were at least closely related from looking at the package. It grew very prolific - it was an excellent producer and fast grower but not what what I expected.  It grew loose green leaves into the fall.  I thought, "They put the wrong seeds in the package!"   Much to my surprise after a very cold winter, the plants came back.  This red and the plants bulbed.   I little research on the Internet told me that heading chicories and radicchios initially have a mass of loose green or reddish leaves that with time form a heart and with cold weather the radicchios turn red. In Virginia it might have been better to sow late summer to autumn and be patient.

My Arugula is the first seeds in the garden to sprout.  I was walking through the garden and noticed that the small green sprouts were coming up on March 18th after putting them in the garden on the 8th.