Radicchio is part of the chicory plant family.  The other day, I posted about seed ideas for endive which is another member of chicory plant family. While radicchio comes in different shapes and colors, there are differences in maturity dates and heat tolerance.
Currently, I am growing Palla Rossa radicchio from Botanical Interests. This variety forms a round head if you let it mature. You can also find this variety from Territorial Seed and High Mowing Seeds. Some other round head choices include:  Leonardo F1 from High Mowing and Johnny’s Selected Seeds has purple and white round heads. Variegated Chiogga and Chicory Red Verona from Burpee are red and white. Radicchio di Lusia Cicoria and Radicchio di Lusia Tardiva from Seeds from Italy offers green and white heads that have red markings.
Bel Fiore from Johnny forms a loose head that looks like a flower. It has pink and red markings on green and white leaves. A similar variety is Radicchio di Castelfranco from Seeds from Italy. This variety and Palla Rossa do well in the heat of summer.
Also, there are elongated varieties. Territorial offers Ross Di Treviso Precoce and Burpee offers Red Treviso which are red and white. High Mowing and Johnny offer Fiero FI which is red/burgundy, white and green and Virtus FI which is pale green.
While I usually harvest radicchio leaves for a salad as I need them, you can also quarter a head and grill it or use the leaves in a pasta or risotto dish. I got these ideas from the Seeds from Italy website!
