Radishes are a very quick to grow root vegetable that are extremely beginner friendly. They grow in raised beds and in ground beds equally well and can be continually planted in the spring and fall for a consistent crop. While they’re not as versatile in the kitchen as carrots or potatoes, they are much easier to grow and if you grow them for seed they can produce lovely microgreens indoors.
Radish Details
- Family: Brassicaceae
- Growing Season: Spring and fall
- Growing Zones: 3 through 10
- Spacing: 3-4 inches (7.5-10 cm) apart
- Seed to Harvest time: 30-60 days
- Indoor Starting: Not recommended
- Earliest Planting: As soon as ground can be worked
- Watering: Water when soil is dry, keeping soil moist, but never wet. Do not over water. About 1 inch of water per week.
- Sunlight Requirements: Full sun
- Planting: plant seeds 1/2 inch deep.
- Weeding: Like most root vegetables weeds can cause them to grow misshapen. Weed often for better radishes.
- Harvesting: Harvest radishes once you can see their bulbs breaching the soil. Don’t let radishes go too long as older radishes have a less pleasant taste and texture.
- Known Pests: Cabbage root maggots, avoid planting Brassicaceae family plants in the same location following seasons. Clubroot, remove affected plants.
More About Radishes
Radishes grow quickly and depending on conditions can go from seed to harvest in a month. If you are diligent with them you can plant them continually and harvest radishes 30 days into to spring and every following day until summer. Radishes can also be allowed to bolt to collect their seeds. Radishes, like most plants in the Brassicaceae family, make for great micro greens and are extremely easy to grow as microgreens indoors. Radishes make for slightly more flavorful microgreens as they have peppery taste.
Radishes as a root vegetable store really well. They keep in the fridge for a long time and can be pickled if you have an excess of them.
Radish Tasting and Food Notes
Radishes have a peppery taste for a root vegetable. Despite their punch, they are still a crisp and refreshing root vegetable and can be prepared the same way you would prepare carrots or parsnips. In the US they are not very popular in cooked dishes, but end up most frequently in salads.
One of the best things about radishes that many overlook is that they are a whole salad in one plant. They can be grown as microgreen, root vegetables, and greens. The leaves of radishes are perfectly edible and taste a lot like chard, so don’t throw them out when you harvest them.
When it comes to taste, cooler temperatures will produce a sweeter less peppery radish. Once the temperature rises above around 65F (18C) the plant begins to develop that more peppery taste. Because of this people who grow their own radishes can choose which flavor profile they like better and plant and harvest their crops accordingly.
While the plant on it’s own is tasty and useful, we have to recommend pickling for radishes. If you like pickles in general, pickled radishes are a zestier and snappier treat to add to your pickling repertoire.
Should I Grow Radishes In My Garden?
If you like radishes, you should grow them. They are super simple to grow, have few pests, and take up very little space. On top of all this if you eat the greens these plants produce very little waste and can stock your pantry for a long time with pickles you can use year round. Radishes are a great pick for beginner gardeners and experts alike, so the only really question you need to ask is if you want to eat them!