radishes at a roadside market
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Radishes
Radishes are hardy root vegetables grown for their crisp, colorful, and peppery roots. They can be planted multiple times in a season—and be ready to harvest in as soon as three weeks! Find out how to grow radishes and how to tell when they’re at their peak.
About Radishes
Radishes are an annual root vegetable and a member of the Brassicaceae or cabbage family, which includes broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, collards, and, as the name suggests, horseradish. The entire plant is edible—from root to leaves—and can be enjoyed raw or cooked. (See Cooking notes below.)
Seeds can be planted in both the spring and the fall, but sowing should be suspended when warm temperatures arrive (70 degrees or higher); this causes radishes to bolt, making them essentially useless. Otherwise, radishes are one of the easiest vegetables to grow.
Because radishes mature so quickly, you can sow them anywhere there is an empty space or sow in between rows of other vegetables such as carrots or beets. Radishes also happen to make excellent companion plants to help deter pests from other vegetables.
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Thinning Radishes
”Thinning” is probably the most important step in growing radishes. Once the seedlings are 2 inches tall or about a week old, it’s important to thin radishes to three-inch spacings. Crowded radishes do not grow well, and you’ll end up getting small, shriveled, inedible roots.
To thin, just snip the greens at the soil line. The thinnings are edible, so add them to a salad! Or, if thinnings have been carefully extracted with roots, leaves, and stem intact, replant them. Transplants might be a bit stressed, but they should recover.
Photo credit: Larisa Lofitskaya/Shutterstock
Watering Radishes
- Consistent, even moisture is key. Don’t let it dry out, or you’ll get pithy, pungent roots but don’t let it get waterlogged, or the roots will rot. A drip irrigation system is a great way to achieve this.
- Mulch the radishes with compost enriched with wood ashes to help retain moisture in dry condition as well as keep root maggots at bay.
- Weed often; weeds will quickly crowd out radishes.
The biggest mistake gardeners make with spring radishes is leaving them in the ground past their maturity, then they will get tough and taste starchy. Winter radishes, on the other hand, can keep in the ground for a few weeks after they mature, if the weather is cool. Finish the harvest before frost.
- To harvest, check your seed packet! Different types of radishes have different grow times. Some varieties are pulled as soon as 3 weeks after planting, when roots are approximately 1 inch in diameter. Pull one out as a test.
- Another good sign that your radish root is doing well is that the green growth above the soil is 6 to 8 inches tall.
- Finally, you should see or feel the “shoulder” or top part of the radish pushing up against the topsoil.
If some radishes bolt before you have a chance to harvest them, leave a few to develop seedpods. The seedpods, which look like tiny bean or pea pods, are actually quite tasty in a salad.
How to Store Radishes
- Cut off the tops and the thin root tail, wash the radishes, and dry them thoroughly. Store in produce or zip-top bags in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.
- Radish greens can be stored separately for up to 3 days. Put them in a separate produce bag with a dry paper towel.
Many folks do not realize that radishes have uses well beyond the salad garnish! Radishes are great for pickling with carrots or to be fermented into kimchi. The small types can be snacked on whole (with their green tops as handles), or dipped into salted butter and lime. Of course, radishes can also be grated into cabbage slaws to add some flavor.
Radishes can also be cooked. You can roast halved radishes until buttery and tender. And the green tops can be sauteéd in olive oil with some garlic or even made into pesto.
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Like many planting instructions, this says to plant 1 inch apart and then thin to 2 inches apart. Why not just plant 2 inches apart to begin with? Is there a reason for this? Do they need to be closer initially? Just curious.
Hi Rob, Good question. Not all seeds germinate. So we plant extra and then see what comes up, thinning to the right spacing so the plants won’t be overcrowded. All, when seeds are tiny, they are hard to handle so sometimes folks scatter the seeds instead of planting one-by-one and then thin.
I’m surprised there’s no mention of cabbage butterflies. Here in San Francisco, cabbage butterflies area big problem for cruciferous vegetables. Their caterpillars destroy the leaves! Bird netting seems to help.
Thanks for sharing your experience! We’ve added info on cabbage worms above.
Same here in Iowa. Had to keep checking for larvae almost everyday. Will be using netting this year!
No luck here…consumed by aphids. However, have successfully grown them in the past. So frustrating!!!
Great starter crop for kids......... Colorful, and fast growing. Along with carrots, you'll teach them all about planting, watering, weeding, and the rewards like eating something you grew yourself. Dad started me out with Batchelor buttons and zinnias for color. Sixty years later I'm still hooked. Thanks Dad!
My radishes will not form bulbs. But they have thick stocks and make the radishes tough and not eatable and are very small.
Radish greens can be eaten in salads or steamed; use the smallest leaves u can find they are more tender;
I receive occasional farmers' market radishes with leaves still on the radishes.
Usually in our grocery store many vegetables get occasional spray with water.
The latest pack looks like it has wilted leaves. Are they still edible?
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