Broadleaf
Salad King Endive is a reliable, frost-tolerant green that thrives in cool-season gardens and actually improves in flavor after exposure to frost. This upright endive matures in 90 to 99 days and produces tender, harvestable leaves that can be enjoyed raw in salads or cooked in warm dishes. Unlike some endives that turn unbearably bitter, Salad King's leaves become noticeably less sharp when blanched, giving you control over the final flavor. It's a variety that rewards fall planting, reaching peak deliciousness just as temperatures drop.
Full Sun
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?in H x ?in W
Perennial
Moderate
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Frost actually improves the taste of Salad King Endive, making it one of the few vegetables that genuinely thrives as temperatures cool into autumn. The leaves are naturally less bitter than many endive varieties, especially when blanched, and the plant bounces back after harvest when you leave an inch of stem in the soil. Its bolt-resistant nature and ability to regrow mean a single planting can feed you across multiple harvests.
Salad King Endive shines raw in mixed greens, where its tender leaves add a sophisticated slight bitterness that balances sweeter ingredients. It's equally at home cooked, contributing complex flavor and attractive texture to sautés, braises, and grain dishes. The leaves are sturdy enough to hold up to heat while remaining tender enough to eat without excessive chopping.
Direct sow seeds outdoors in late spring through mid-summer for a fall harvest. Plant at a depth of 1/4 inch and keep soil consistently moist until germination occurs. For a fall crop that reaches peak flavor after frost, time your sowing so plants mature as temperatures cool into autumn.
Begin harvesting once leaves reach their full height, typically 90 to 99 days after sowing. Harvest outer leaves first, cutting or pinching them at the base, and leave at least 1 inch of the plant stem in the soil so it can regrow and produce another round of tender leaves. Salad King tastes best when harvested in fall, especially after the first light frosts. You can harvest individual leaves as needed throughout the season or cut the entire head 1 inch above soil level for regrowth.
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