Growing Radishes

Interested in growing your own radishes? This easy, fast, and fun guide will walk you through the steps of growing delicious and nutritious radishes in your own backyard.

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How To Grow Radishes

Radishes are one of the easiest vegetables to grow in your garden. They are also one of the fastest vegetables to grow, with some maturing in as little as 30 days! They can be grown in both the spring and fall. All you need to know about growing radishes is here.

What Are Radishes?

Radishes are part of the brassica or cabbage family. That means they are related to crops like broccoli, cauliflower, and collards.

They are a cool-season crop which means they are cold-tolerant and need to be grown in the spring and fall. They can also be grown in winter in milder climates. Hot weather is their enemy, as soon as the temperatures rise to over 80 F (27 C) they will get woody and want to bolt to seed.

Many radishes are fast-growing, maturing in only 30 to 45 days.

This spicy-tasting vegetable is a great addition to any garden and adds amazing flavor to any salad.

Radish Varieties

Radish seeds can be found at our favorite seed company, True Leaf Market. They have a great variety of seeds to choose from.

Radishes can be broken into 2 categories:

Spring Radishes-they are smaller and quicker growing. They do well in the spring and can be planted again in the fall. Varieties here include

Easter Egg
Cherry Bell
White Icicle
French Breakfast.

Winter Radishes– they are larger and take longer to grow (Roughly 60 days). These are best planted in early fall for winter harvest. Varieties include:

Daikon
Black Spanish
China Rose

Radish History and Nutrition

Radishes have been cultivated for a long time, for many thousands of years. They are believed to have originated in China and middle Asia. There are still truly wild varieties of radishes that grow in China today.

Ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians used radishes. Radishes slowly made their way to Europe by the 13th century and were some of the first European crops introduced and cultivated in the Americas.

All parts of radishes are edible, including the roots, leaves, and radish seeds.

Radishes are rich in several vitamins and minerals such as, Manganese, Iron, Potassium, Calcium, Vitamin C, Folate, Vitamin B6, Thiamine, Niacin, and Riboflavin. They are very low in calories, with only 9 for 1/2 cup, and are also very low in carbs only 2 grams for 1/2 cup.

Radishes also have many antioxidants which help fight cancer and other diseases. And they contain glucosinolate and isothiocyanate which are thought to help control blood sugar.

With their distinct peppery taste radishes make a great addition to salads and other fresh dishes and are great pickled!

When Do You Plant Radishes

As a cool-season crop radishes should be planted in the spring and fall. In warmer climates, they can also be planted in late fall for a crop of winter radishes.

For spring radishes sow seeds directly in the garden as soon as the soil can be worked. This could be 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost. This can be as early as mid-March or early-April in some areas. If you have cold frames or hoop houses you can sow seeds even earlier as soon as space opens up in those structures.

Hot weather is the enemy of radishes. When the weather starts to warm up towards the end of spring you will find your radish plants have a woody texture and will bolt to seed quickly. If you have radishes that bolt to seed don’t worry. The immature seed pods are edible along with the seeds inside once they mature.

Radishes can be very quick-growing plants, this works well for succession planting. Plant small amounts of seeds every 7 to 10 days through the spring. A smaller radish is the best spring variety. Look for seeds for Cherry Bell, Easter Egg, and White Icicle.

Because Spring radishes are quick growing they are also great for interplanting. Plant them among slower-growing vegetables like peas, parsnips, spinach, beets, and carrots.

Planting in the Fall

Fall planting times will be in mid to late summer around 4 to 6 weeks before your first frost. Planting time for a fall crop will be from mid-August to mid-September. Spring varieties will also do well in the fall, but be sure to plant some larger Diakon radishes in the fall. They take longer to grow (Roughly 60 days) but they hold well in the garden or even store longer inside.

If you really love radishes and can’t stand the thought of waiting through the summer to plant again you can try sowing seeds in shady cool spots in your garden to see how they do. Try planting them where they will be shaded in the late afternoon by larger plants like kale or tomatoes. These summer radishes won’t be as tasty, but as long as you don’t give them too much shade, they should still produce a decent summertime crop.

You can also try doing radishes as microgreens they are so good this way as well and you can have them all year long. I did a video on how to do microgreens that you can watch below.

Where to Plant Radishes

Radishes do best in light, fertile, and well-drained soil. Adding compost before planting will also benefit radishes. Radishes prefer a pH between 5.5 and 6.8 but they will grow outside that pH range.

Adding extra fertilizer or manure to your soil is not advised for radishes, this will add too much nitrogen to the soil which will encourage lush top growth and discourage root growth.

Radishes like full sun but they can tolerate some shade. Overall, they will do best with at least 6 hours of sun. Because of their small size spring radishes also do well in containers.

Radishes are great companion plants. Because they are so quick growing they grow well with slower-growing crops. Consider planting spring radishes with carrots or broccoli. The radishes will be done and harvested well before the companion plants need the space.

Radishes also grow well with beans, onions, and cucumbers. However, you should avoid planting them in areas where other brassicas have been planted for at least a couple of years to avoid disease and pest issues.

How to Plant Radishes

Plant radish seeds 1/2 inch deep. Spring radishes will need about 2 inches of space between plants, and larger winter radishes will need about 5 inches of space. If you are planting in rows those rows can be between 6 to 12 inches apart.

If there is plenty of moisture in the soil you should expect the seedlings to emerge in as little as 4 to 6 days. Once radish seedlings swell their roots, you may need to thin them a bit. Radishes planted too close together will not develop good roots.

How to Care for Growing Radishes

Radishes need consistent water or the roots will become pithy and have poor flavor. Try to be sure the plants get about 1 inch of water each week. Periods of drought can be tough on radishes and dry soil can also cause the plants to bolt to seed prematurely.

Too much water can cause your radish roots to split, so keep good even moisture in the soil without over-watering. Mulching the soil around your radishes can help keep that even moisture we are looking for and can also help keep weeds down. It is also important to keep the weeds down to avoid competing with your radishes.

Radishes are normally fairly disease and pest-free. But they can suffer from both root maggots and flea beetles. Both of these pests can be reduced or eliminated by using a floating row cover over your planting beds. Floating row covers can also promote faster growth in the spring. Disease issues include Black Rot, Club Root, and Alternaria but these are very rare in the home garden and hardly merit mention here.

Spring radishes are quick growers and don’t normally need fertilizer. Winter radishes have a longer growing period and can benefit from a balanced granular organic fertilizer at planting or an application of an organic liquid fertilizer during their growth.

Harvesting Radishes

Harvest time for radishes comes between 30 to 60 days after planting. Be sure to check your seed package for maturity dates. Spring radishes are ready in around 30 days, winter radishes are ready closer to the 60-day time frame.

Spring radishes are ready to harvest when the roots are about 1 inch round. Check your crop closely starting about a week before the expected maturity date. You want to harvest your radishes right on time. Leaving them too long in the garden can mean your radishes turn out too spicy, or the roots can become woody and tough.

Succession planting every 7 days will help keep you from being overwhelmed when all of your radishes are ready at once. The timing should work out nicely by planting just enough to eat for a week every 7 days.

Harvest spring radishes by pulling them gently from the tops. Winter radishes may need to be dug out instead of pulled. Immediately cut off both the leaves and the root (this will prevent the tops from pulling energy from the bulb). The leaves are edible and the roots can be eaten raw or cooked. Radishes also make great fermented pickles. Radishes stored in the refrigerator will last 3 to 5 days.

Plant Some Radishes This Year

Radishes are a quick-growing and fairly carefree crop for most gardeners to grow. They are easily tucked into small spaces and yield a delicious crop in a short time. They are a great veggie to plant with kids because the seeds are easy to handle and they sprout and grow so quickly that they can keep your kids interest. Buy some radishes this year and start planting. They are so fun and easy to grow.