[ garden ] :: how to grow radishes

Yesterday, I posted about how to grow okra from start to finish. Another easy vegetable for beginners are radishes. Growing a plant from seed can be intimidating, but radishes are fast-growing and they are ready to harvest in as little as 28 days! Plus, they are delicious with dip, sliced up on a salad, roasted, and even pickled.

I chose these varieties: French Breakfast and Cherry Belle. I have grown these radishes before and have tried Burpee (Home Depot/Lowes), Seeds of Change (Lowes), and Botanical Interests (Pike) - all of them grew wonderfully! French Breakfast radishes are very mild and gorgeous looking, while the Cherry Belle is more of what you would buy at the grocery store.

French Breakfast radish, photo c/o Burpee

Cherry Belle radish, photo c/o Burpee.

How to germinate radishes: Let's be honest - you can't mess this up. To begin, you will need to sow your radishes outdoors. Check your region's best seed planting dates in the Farmer's Almanac - I am in Zone 7, so the best time here to sow the seeds outdoors is, well, now. Radishes can be grown in containers or in raised beds, as long as they have good drainage and 5"-6" of depth to grow. Since they are a root vegetable, it is important that the soil is not too hard (like the red clay we have here in Georgia), or else they won't have room to grow!

I planted my radishes in a square foot garden. Since I chose smaller varieties, I was able to plant 36 per square foot (or 2" spacing between radish). Make a hole with your finger, sprinkle in 3 radish seeds per hole, then cover with dirt. Done!

They germinate relatively fast, so within 5-7 days you will have an abundance of adorable radish seedlings! Thin to one seedling per "hole" that you planted them in. If you feel bad about plucking out the seedling it's ok - they are edible! Wash them well and toss them on a salad or sandwich.

How to grow radishes: I water my seedlings every other day until they are well-established. After 2 weeks, I fertilize lightly with a 5-1-1 fertilizer (fish emulsion is awesome for this). Within 4 weeks of germination, your radishes will have about 6" of leaves and you may see part of the radish peeking through the soil. They are ready when the radishes are as big around as a quarter. See the radish below? Not ready yet!

How to harvest radishes: When your radishes have reached a good size, gently dig them out of the soil with your fingers and lightly brush off the dirt. Do not wash them until you are ready to eat them! They will stay fresh longer that way. I store unwashed radishes in a paper bag in the fridge until we are ready to eat them.

How gorgeous are those radishes? The one on top is a French Breakfast radish and the others are Cherry Belles. They were yummy on top of a garden salad. :)

- Maggie White