Radicchio grows well in warm temperatures, it is just too bitter to eat. But it needs to get its energy up, specially if the OP is going to cut it to promote heading (presumably in September). Wild radicchio seeds itself in July-August and it is meant to grow and establish itself in the warm season. Considering that the OP will grow it in shade, it is best to start it (or transplant it) at about the same time when basil or eggplant go out (June here, late May Zone 7 for shade). For eating, it should be touched only two weeks after first frost. It is also visually obvious to figure out when to eat it since inedible radicchio is green (actually I also cook down and freeze the inedible leaves, from thinning or cutting, mixed with milder greens. It goes down well in midwinter), but edible will have all sorts of colors from yellow to purple to mahogany. You will still get smaller heads, because of the shade, but they will be good quality.

There is both an OP and a hybrid TFM by that name. There are other frisee endives at vary in texture and flavor. Europeans prefer more bitter kinds. To sweeten the greens, the plants are covered to exclude light or, on the larger-bodied kinds, are wrapped to exclude light from the desired center. I grow many kinds of endive/chicory here in SoCal. The crops do best with cool days and nights, uniform moisture and declining daylength. What they hate is irregular water and spikes of high temperature. Such treatment causes them to go bitter and accelerates flowering.

HI SKY290 Thank you for your kind offer I might just take you up on that I will wait and see if they germinate for me, I started them like before damp paper towel baggie method so now I am just waiting to see if they sprout, I also got some maradol papaya seeds the same way. my plan is to germinate as many as possible and then grow some in the ground and some in containers for next winter I can bring them indoors and see what they do. I have read somewhere that once you have papaya growing you can make some kind of cut in the trunk and then they will produce fruit, so I must go looking for this article and see what else I need to refresh my memory about. Marcie

Miss Amy, your box did arrive yesterday and I apologize for not posting sooner. My grandbaby just went home and I wasn't online. Anyways, Amy sent me a wonderful box. It has a bottle holder in shades of blue and off white, an awesome assortment of mixes to put in my water, a hummingbird feeder, a rose scented soap, and seeds :prairie coneflower, blazing stars, portulaca, blanket flower, purple spiderwort! Thanks so much Amy..I loved it!