Endive Seeds - Green Curled Ruffec
Best heirloom choice for cool-weather salad and vegetable gardeners.
Discover Green Curled Ruffec Endive, an old French heirloom variety also known as frisée. This cold-hardy green produces heavily serrated, frilly leaves and develops white-blanching hearts when fully grown. It is wonderfully versatile, perfect fresh in salads or wilted in soups and sautés. Due to a slight bitterness that intensifies in hot weather, this variety is best suited for early spring or fall planting. A 0.5 gram packet contains a minimum of 230 seeds, offering a reliable start for your garden.
$3.95
Owner Satisfaction
4.6
/ 5
Category Rank
3177
/ 6090
#3177 in Seeds & Seed Tape
Price vs Category Average
-63%
Below average
Minimum Seeds per Packet
230
Who it's for
- Gardeners seeking visually striking and crunchy salad greens
- Cool-season growers harvesting in frost-prone climates
- Palates preferring milder, less bitter endive varieties
Who should skip it
- Cooks wanting quick and easy vegetable preparation
- Urban gardeners with limited planting space
- Eaters who dislike strong, bitter greens
Performance breakdown
Germination Reliability
High seed count per packet ensures a dense, successful crop yield.
Culinary Versatility
Frilly leaves excel in both crisp salads and savory cooked dishes.
Climate Adaptability
Thrives in cool weather but struggles with mid-summer heat bitterness.
Heirloom Authenticity
Classic French variety delivers traditional texture and distinct flavor profiles.
Growth Cycle Efficiency
Eighty-seven days to harvest requires patience for a full maturity.
Garden Space Requirements
Requires dedicated garden beds as it is not suited for containers.
Key Specs
Minimum Seeds per Packet
230
Packet Weight
0.5g
Days to Harvest
87
Seed Depth
¼"
Soil Temperature
45-68 ℉
Days to Sprout
4-15
Mature Spacing
8-10"
Sun Requirement
Full Sun or Partial Shade
Features
- Old French heirloom variety
- Cold-hardy greens
- White-blanching hearts
- Versatile for fresh or cooked use
- Best for cool weather planting
- Heavily serrated, frilly leaf texture
- Requires vernalization to flower
What customers say
Customers overwhelmingly praise the Sow True Seed Endive for its exceptional reliability and quality. Reviewers consistently report near perfect germination, even with older stock, highlighting the seeds' freshness. Gardeners value the 'Green Curled Ruffec' variety for its robust growth and the attractive, deeply frilled leaf texture. Flavor is another key positive; the endive offers desirable crispness and manageable bitterness when properly blanched. This variety shows good performance across various climates, resisting premature bolting better than many alternatives. Users trust the brand for delivering true to type, nonGMO seeds, reinforcing the excellent perceived value. This endive is highly recommended for a dependable, high quality harvest.
Know before you buy
This variety thrives in cooler temperatures, so it is best planted in early spring or fall. Planting during these windows helps prevent the leaves from becoming overly bitter, which can happen in hot summer weather.
The white hearts develop naturally as the plant matures. You can encourage this process by gently tying the outer leaves together or covering the center of the plant to exclude light, which softens the flavor and lightens the color of the inner leaves.
No, this variety is not recommended for container gardening. It requires consistent ground space and specific soil conditions to reach its full maturity of 8 to 10 inches of spacing.
Each 0.5-gram packet contains a minimum of 230 seeds. This provides plenty of volume for multiple successional plantings throughout the spring or fall seasons.
You can expect seeds to sprout in 4 to 15 days depending on soil temperature. The plants typically reach maturity and are ready for harvest in approximately 87 days.
It is highly versatile. While the frilly, serrated leaves are excellent fresh in salads, they also hold up well when wilted in soups or sautés.
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