FENICE CASTELFRANCO
Best choice for home gardeners seeking beautiful, nutrient-dense winter greens.
Discover the Fenice Castelfranco Radicchio, an organic, open-pollinated variety perfect for your garden. This annual vegetable matures in approximately 65 days, producing light green, serrated leaves with striking ruby speckles. The plants form tight, dense heads that unfurl into beautiful rosettes, offering a pleasant, mildly bitter flavor. Reaching up to 11 inches tall and 16 inches wide, these greens hold up well in the field and are an excellent source of essential vitamins and minerals. Enjoy their European flair in soups, steamed dishes, or fresh salads.
$4.35
Owner Satisfaction
4.5
/ 5
Category Rank
4481
/ 5880
#4481 in Seeds & Seed Tape
Price vs Category Average
-59%
Below average
Maturity
65
/ days
Who it's for
- Home chefs seeking visually stunning, gourmet salad ingredients
- Gardeners preferring delicate, sweet greens over bitter varieties
- Cool-climate growers looking to extend their late-season harvest
Who should skip it
- Gardeners in regions without consistent, predictable autumn frosts
- Impatient growers wanting a quick turnaround for salad greens
- Small-space gardeners prioritizing maximum yield per square foot
Performance breakdown
Germination Reliability
Open-pollinated genetics ensure consistent, predictable sprouting for home gardeners.
Field Resilience
Robust structure allows the heads to withstand fluctuating outdoor conditions easily.
Visual Appeal
Stunning ruby speckles create a high-end aesthetic in any vegetable patch.
Growth Speed
Sixty-five day maturity offers a quick turnaround for seasonal harvests.
Flavor Balance
Mild bitterness provides a sophisticated profile ideal for fresh culinary applications.
Cultivation Ease
Straightforward planting requirements make this variety accessible for all skill levels.
Key Specs
Maturity
65 days
Plant Height
11 inches
Plant Width
16 inches
Soil Temp for Germination
50–70°F
Seed Depth
¼–½"
Seed Spacing
1–2"
Thin Plants to
6–12"
Row Spacing
16–18"
Features
- Produces tight, dense heads with ruby speckles
- Pleasant, mildly bitter flavor profile
- Holds up extremely well in the field
- Certified organic seed
- Light green, serrated leaves
- Striking rosette formation
- Fast and easy to grow
- Rich in vitamins and minerals
What customers say
Customers highly value the 'Fenice Castelfranco' radicchio for its exceptional aesthetic appeal and reliable performance. Reviewers consistently praise the beautiful speckled crimson and creamy white leaves, noting this variety brings a gourmet element to home gardens. Germination rates are reported as high, indicating strong quality. Flavor is generally described as pleasantly mild with a desirable subtle bitterness, perfect for winter salads. Experienced growers appreciate its vigor and cold tolerance, ensuring successful late season harvests that enhance color and taste. While achieving perfect heads sometimes requires careful timing, the overall consensus is that this is a superior, worthwhile variety delivering exceptional results.
Know before you buy
This variety thrives in cooler temperatures and is best planted during the spring or fall seasons. It prefers a soil temperature between 50–70°F for optimal germination.
To achieve those signature tight, dense heads, ensure you thin your seedlings to 6–12 inches apart. This spacing allows the plants the necessary room to develop their full 16-inch width and rosette structure.
Fenice Castelfranco offers a pleasant, mildly bitter flavor profile. It is generally more approachable than some of the sharper, more pungent radicchio varieties, making it versatile for both raw salads and cooked dishes.
You can expect to harvest your radicchio approximately 65 days after planting. Because these plants hold up well in the field, you have some flexibility in your harvest window once they reach maturity.
Yes, for the best results, plant your seeds in a location that receives full sun. While it is an easy-to-grow annual, consistent sunlight is key to developing its striking ruby speckles and healthy leaf growth.
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