radishes at a roadside market
Credit: Annette McCarthy
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EmailBotanical name: Raphanus sativus
Plant type: Vegetable
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Sun exposure: Full Sun
Soil type: Any
Radishes are a hardy, cool-season vegetable that can produce many crops each season due to its rapid days to maturity. Radishes can be planted in both the spring and the fall, but growing should be suspended in the warmer months. They are a very easy vegetable to grow.
Planting
- Sow seeds one week before to one week after your last spring frost date, after aged manure or organic fertilizer has been worked into soil.
- Direct sow seeds ½ inch to an inch deep and one inch apart.
- Radishes need sun. If they are planted in too much shade—or even where neighboring vegetable plants shade them—they put all their energy into producing larger leaves.
- Practice three-year crop rotation.
- Plant consecutively every two weeks or so while weather is still cool for a continuous harvest of radishes.
- Plan on a fall planting. You can plant radishes later than any other root crop in late summer or early fall and still get a harvest.
Care
- Radishes require well-drained soil with consistent moisture.
- Thin radishes to about an inch apart when the plants are a week old. You will be amazed at the results.
Pests
- Cabbage Root Maggot
- Clubroot
Harvest/Storage
- Radishes will be ready to harvest quite rapidly, as three weeks after planting for some varieties.
- Do not leave in the ground long after mature stage, their condition will deteriorate quickly.
- Cut the tops off short, wash the radishes and dry them thoroughly. Store in plastic bags in the refrigerator.
- Radish greens can be stored separately for up to three days.
Recommended Varieties
- ‘French Breakfast’ late maturing variety, does ok in moderate heat.
- ‘Burpee White’ spring variety, white skin.
Recipes
Cooking Notes
- ‘French Breakfast’ late maturing variety, does well in moderate heat.
- ‘Burpee White’ spring variety, white skin.
Wit & Wisdom
Don’t be afraid to plant seeds that are up to five years old. All may not germinate, but you’ll have plenty that will.
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Comments
seeds
How far apart should I plant each seed?
Radishes
How do you know when to harvest? I have the same issue as the previous post I think. Great looking plants, starting to flower, but no bulbous radish. Just thin red "radishy" looking roots.
Just harvest radishes as soon
Just harvest radishes as soon as they reach the size you like. You may have to experiment. Pull all of them before they get tough and pithy. Trim off the tops and store in plastic bags in the refrigerator.
radishes
same problem...nice plants..actually they are starting to produce seed heads..? but no bulbs just long red roots..?? can you eat radishe greens?
I would say your nitrogen is
I would say your nitrogen is to high
Also if they are producing
Also if they are producing seed heads I think they are to old, pick them sooner. And yes you can eat the greens, very healthy. More vitamins in the greens than the bulb.
Yes, radish greens are safe
Yes, radish greens are safe to eat and can be stored separately for up to three days.
Thank you for your interest in the Old Farmer's Almanac and our Web site.
In "normal" conditions, you
In "normal" conditions, you need to check roots often for usable size (when roots are less than 1 inch in diameter) and young. Pick quickly as radishes will not remain edible for long and get spongy. If you have all tops and no bulb, the usual reasons are: 1. seeds are too crowded/lack of thinning, 2. weather too hot for spring-variety radishes.
Radishes
I planted some radishes this year and over 1/2 of them grew real tall and flowered, without producing a radish! what's up with that?
All tops and no bulbs is
All tops and no bulbs is usually because 1. they were seeded too thickly/not thinned, 2. too hot for a spring variety, or 3. too much shade. Another reason is related to the soil: too much too much nitrogen and too little potassium. Radishes prefer the opposite.
Radishes need to be planted
Radishes need to be planted one inch away from eachother to ensure that there is enough room for the roots to grow.
Also, there's a chance that the soil is to acidic, causing only the leaves to grow. Next year, skip out on the fertilizer or test the pH levels of your soil to know how to properly create a more neutral soil.
Thank you for your interest in the Old Farmer's Almanac and our Web site.
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