Chicory greens RE: High Nitrate Concentration

16 years ago

Hi,

My name is Josh. I live in the Portland, Oregon area. I have not posted here in a few years, so I hope things have not changed too much.

Recently, I joined a local community garden. My garden plot is about 15' by 15'. I am mostly planting greens right now, but will plant different things later in the season.

My question is regarding chicory. I am not sure where I read it, but I read that chicory can absorb and store dangerous concentrations of nitrates, making them pretty much toxic to consume. Apparently, chicory must be grown in soil that is not enriched to avoid the nitrate problem.

I bought some some "Dandelion Chicory" starts and some "Serrated Leaf Chicory" seeds. I have already planted the dandelion chicory, but I have yet to start the seeds. One potential problem is my entire garden bed was covered in about two inches of compost. For the spot I planted the dandelion chicory, I raked as much of the compost away as I could, but there was still some there, and I needed to use some in the planting hole, as the topsoil was difficult to work. Additionally, being that the surrounding garden space is covered in compost, won't the nitrogen in the compost leach into where the chicory is growing. Should I just dig them up, and grow them separately, in a pot, or something? If I do that, do I just pot it up in normal topsoil, or should I use sand or something? Is there anything else I can do to decrease the nitrates in the chicory?

I would really like to grow chicory, but if it is going to be inedible due to the nitrate concentration, there seems little point in growing it.

Thank you all for your help, Josh

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Comments (6)

Belgianpup
16 years ago
From the Northeast Grazing Guide:

"Chicory, a forb improved for use in pasture, has remarkable growth and nutritive value. The plant is very responsive to fertilizer inputs and as a result can accumulate sizable quantities of nitrates that might be deleterious to grazing livestock health. We have tracked seasonal distribution of herbage nitrate and found concentrations in the leaves that exceed safe levels for livestock in summer. Current research addresses livestock response to chicory treated with poultry waste, chicory cultivar development and response to management inputs, and chicory-grass compared to grass-clover mixtures for livestock production."

But is that a danger just for ruminants that ingest a lot of it, or the small amount a person would eat?

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: NW Grazing Guide
wlsworker
Original Author
16 years ago
Sue,

Thank you for the informative answer. I could have been referring to the amount a person would eat, but I was mainly concerned with the significantly larger amount my herbivorous pets would consume. They are lizards that have a diet similar to that of an iguana or tortoise; basically dark-leafy greens, and a little bit of fruits and vegetables. The chicory would not make up a large portion of their diet, but I would still be concerned about the harmful nitrates.

Is there anything I can do to reduce the nitrates in the chicory? I mean, obviously I would not fertilize them with anything containing nitrogen. But, other that that, what can I do?
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lilydude
16 years ago
Compost doesn't have huge nitrate concentration, like chemical fertilizer. Also, nitrate is very soluble and mobile in the soil, and is likely to be leached out.

Organic matter with a high Carbon-to-Nitrogen ratio, such as wood chips or sawdust, can be mixed into the soil, and will reduce the available Nitrogen. If you overdo this, your plants are going to grow poorly.

Chicory is great people food too, if you like bitter greens. I like to make a stew of pork, lima beans and chicory with tomato sauce. Heaven! I add some sugar to counteract the bitterness.
justaguy2
16 years ago
What is worse, some extra nitrates or white cane sugar?
lilydude
16 years ago
Just a spoonful of sugar makes the, er, nitrates go down...

So sorry.
paulns
16 years ago
I have the opposite worry. Our organic ag. rep told us the reason our soil is so LOW in nitrates is that we've been feeding it mainly compost, seaweed and leaves. Compost NPK is so low, many people don't consider it a fertilizer.

Chicory greens RE: High Nitrate Concentration

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Belgianpup

wlsworker
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Chicory greens RE: High Nitrate Concentration

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Belgianpup

wlsworkerOriginal Author

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