
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Radishes
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There are both “spring” and “winter” radishes. Note: the small round varieties do not tolerate heat as well as the longer types so plant the small types first in early spring before mid-size. In general, we find that smaller radishes are milder in flavor, and the larger varieties are spicier.
- ‘Burpee White’: spring variety; small type; heirloom radish with white crisp flesh; mild flavor
- ‘Champion’: spring variety; small type; bright scarlet with firm, crisp white flesh; mild flavor
- ‘Cherry Belle’: small type; round, red with white flesh; heirloom radish; crisp, light flavor
- ‘German Giant’: spring variety, red baseball-size; never gets too hot; sweet and mild
- ‘French Breakfast’: spring, late-maturing type can tolerate moderate heat; heirloom radish with 3-inch red roots, oblong shape, mild flavor
- ‘White Icicle’: late spring, cylindrical white roots up to 5 inches long; can tolerate moderate heat; heirloom; mild-flavored with hints of peppery taste
- ‘Daikon’: winter radish; grows to 14 inches long; best grown in cooler climates or during the cooler ends of the growing season; crisp and snappy taste
- ‘Spanish Black’: winter radish; large 3- to 4-inch turnip-shaped globes have crisp, pungent, spicy pure-white flesh; great for storage
- ‘Watermelon’: winter radish; an heirloom Daikon radish variety with striking white skin and bright red inners; mild flavor with a light peppery tang.
Recipes
Cooking Notes
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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I was wondering how much water exactly should a radish get. My type of radish is Scarlet Globe.
From AM
Watering depends on your type of soil. Right after planting, water seeds thoroughly as you’ll want moist soil down to 6 inches deep. Keep seeds moist until they sprout. Thin the plants to an inch apart soon after they come up. In normal weather and with normal soil, radishes should get an inch of water per week. (A trick: Put out an empty can of tuna and measure how much rain water falls to see if you get an inch.) In hot and dry weather, you’ll probably need to water more often. To see if soil is moist, put your finger in the soil up the first knuckle. It should feel moist, not dry.
sorry this isn't a gardening question but I'm hoping you might be able to help, I seeded a new lawn and covered it with straw and now the grass is growing well so my question is how long do I keep the straw covering the new grass? I can see the grass peeking through the straw and it is coming in really well but I don't want to take the straw off to soon and have the grass stop growing, does anyone know how long to keep the straw covering the new grass?
Anthony, you should keep the straw on your new lawn until the blades reach 2 to 3 inches. Find more lawn care tips here: http://www.almanac.com/content/basic-lawn-care-fertilizing-seeding-weeding-mowing
I want to try growing radishes but the packet doesn't say how many seeds to plant, what do you recommend? Also how do you know when to pick the radishes, I know this will sound stupid but up until last season I never had a garden or ever grew anything but will the radishes grow above the dirt or in the ground this is why I asked about knowing when to pick them? I've been trying to learn as much as I can about veggie garden's and how to grow the food's my family likes and this site has been helpful and believe me I need all the help I can get, thank you.
you can plant as many as you want as long as you have enough room
How many seeds you plant will depend on the size of your garden and how much you like radishes. :0) Recommended spacing is to plant seeds about an inch apart, and then when they sprout, to thin them to about 2 or 3 inches apart. This is a general guideline for spring radishes (which are planted in early spring, and sometimes also in late summer/early fall). Winter types, which are larger, can even be thinned to about 4 or 5 inches apart (these are often planted in summer for a fall harvest, and take longer to mature). No matter what type you plant, you will see the leaves (also called tops or greens) grow above the soil while the swollen root will develop mostly below the soil. However, you may see the upper part of this root poking out above the soil. The swollen root may be round, or cylindrical like a carrot, depending on what type of radish you grow. For spring radishes, harvest as soon as it is mature; check the days to maturity on the seed packet for an idea; for spring radishes, usually they are ready when the roots are about 1 inch across or a little more. If left too long in the ground, they will get tough. Winter radishes can keep in the ground for a few weeks after they are mature, if the weather is cool (but harvest before frost). Hope this helps!
I was wondering how big of a pot I would need to grow radishes. I can't grow them outside because it's too cold.
How big a pot would depend on how many radishes you’d like to grow in one container. The pot should be at least 6 inches deep (4 inches may do for the smaller types of radishes). Make sure that the container has drainage holes. Check the recommended spacing for the radish variety that you’d like to grow, and then you can plan the width of the pot. Window boxes often do well, for example.
What level of pH is preferred by radishes?