Escarole

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

, Leaf miners

Leaf miners

Agromyzidae

Pale trails inside the leaf — mostly harmless, and out of reach of any spray.

.

Attract Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

to keep them in check — plant DillGreat, LovageGreat and Sweet CicelyGreat nearby.

🌼 Beneficial companion — draws Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

that help control

Aphids

on neighbouring plants.

Growing from seed

Direct-sow Escarole outdoors around your last frost date, keeping seeds in cooler soil (around 10–18 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 10 days. Grow in partial sun, spaced about 30 cm apart. Expect to harvest in roughly 90 days.

Escarole seed rarely stays viable beyond 5 years — track what's still worth sowing.

Companion Planting

• 
  Blue Sage
  

  Blue SageExcellent pair

  • ❧Blue Sage attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps and more, which prey on the Aphids and Leaf miners that attack Escarole
  • ❧Escarole acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Blue Sage
  • ❧Blue Sage gives Escarole sheltering shade in the heat of summer
• 
  Chaytor's Lavender
  

  Chaytor's LavenderExcellent pair

  • ❧Chaytor's Lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps and more, which prey on the Aphids and Leaf miners and more that attack Escarole
  • ❧Escarole draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
• 
  Cleveland Sage
  

  Cleveland SageExcellent pair

  • ❧Cleveland Sage attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps and more, which prey on the Aphids and Leaf miners that attack Escarole
  • ❧Escarole acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Cleveland Sage
  • ❧Cleveland Sage gives Escarole sheltering shade in the heat of summer

How to grow Escarole

1. Sow0 weeks from frost
2. Germinates10 days
3. Space30 cm apart
4. GrowPartial sun
5. Harvest~90 days

Water: Medium · Height: 30 cm · Soil: Moist, fertile, well-draining