The Complete Garden To Table Guide - Radishes
Give radishes some love!
No longer a boring forgotten vegetable, radishes bring spice, crunch, and color to everything you put them in.
At Farmer's markets this time of year you’ll find tons of radishes, greens, herbs, bok choy, asparagus, and peas. The first round of perfectly crisp, fresh green to grace our plates in months. I think radishes can be tricky for some people who aren’t big veggie eaters. I want to encourage you to try them, they might just surprise you with their colorful appearance and crunchy texture.
I never used to be a fan of radishes. Too spicy, weird texture, just not for me. That was until I grew them in my own garden and the flavor completely changed. They became crispy and sweet and added the perfect crunch to everything I made. Your only experience with a vegetable may have been from a grocery store where nothing is picked in season and allowed to fully ripen. Home grown veggies are allowed to develop full flavor and be harvested at their peak making for a better eating experience.
Easy to Grow Vegetable
I love radishes because the time from sowing to harvest is among the quickest of the veggies. Depending on the variety you could be harvesting in 3-4 weeks. For a beginner gardener radishes are the perfect place to start. You won't be discouraged in your first gardening endeavors because radishes are reliable and rewarding to grow.
Knowing the best time to pick veggies, how to grow them, and the best practices to cook them can transform your daily meals and add more healthy fresh food to the table. Maybe you already have radishes growing in your garden and don’t know what to do with them. No matter what stage you're at you can benefit from knowing how to eat your produce at its peak for tasty garden-to-table meals.
Radishes
The Complete Garden to Table Guide
GROW
Tips for growing radishes
One of the easiest and fastest-growing veggies: radishes are the perfect place to start for new gardeners.
Radishes are best sown in the spring and fall. Avoid planting radishes in the heat of the summer, it will cause the radishes to be more bitter and spicy. Radishes are hardy veggies able to withstand cold temps even a frost to the mid to low 20s.
Radishes can be planted multiple times in a season so they're perfect for succession sowing. You will always have radishes ready to eat.
Add lots of nutrient-rich compost to the soil. Since you grow radishes for the root, nutrients in the soil matter more to getting a successful harvest.
Plant radish seeds in loose soil that is not too compact.
It’s best to direct sow radish seeds. Due to the short days to harvest and not wanting to disturb roots, there’s no need to sow early inside.
Direct sown ½-1 inch deep or depending on the specific seed packet instructions. Sow more seeds every 2-3 weeks for a continuous harvest.
Thin radish seedlings once they start to germinate and pop up. Don’t let them get too crowded, this prevents larger radishes from forming.
Keep consistent moisture but not soaking.
Add mulch such as straw. This prevents weeds and keeps moisture in once the seedlings come up. Place about 3 inches deep of mulch around the seedlings.
My Favorite Radish Varieties
HARVEST
Tips for harvesting radishes
A general guideline depending on the variety is to wait until the top of the radish is about 1 inch in diameter. To check you can push some of the soil off the top and check right below the surface.
Don’t leave radishes in the ground much after the estimated harvest date, the flavor will change to be more bitter and spicy.
If you’re unsure if they are ready to harvest pull one out and see. The back of the seed packet should give you an idea of the ideal size for harvesting.
Best way to store radishes
Remove the green tops and cut off the tail root. Rinse with cold water to remove any dirt, dry, store the radishes wrapped in a paper towel then placed them in a plastic bag or glass container. They should last at least 3 day but will get softer and less crunchy as they sit.