Radishes

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Radishes are one of the easiest vegetables to grow in your garden. Radishes are more of a cool weather crop, but planted between taller plants that provide shade, they can be planted in the summer months as well.

There are many different cultivars of radish that are commonly available. ‘D’ Avignon’ is a long cylindrical radish, 3-4″ long, with white tips. They are ready to harvest in just 21 days. ‘Cherry Belle’ and Comet are globe-shaped radishes that are ready for picking in 20-25 days. I personally plant the “Sparkler” cultivar for its globe shape with white tips and excellent taste. These are ready to harvest in 25 days.

Adding radish to salads is a good way to spruce up your meal. Radishes can also be used in dips, appetizer trays, or eaten raw. I have a two-prong reason for growing radishes in my garden. First, I plant radishes around my squash and zucchini plants since radishes help to ward off squash bugs and leaf miners. I also plant radishes because I love then in salads or eaten raw with Ranch dip.

Planting

The planting area should be weed free, because emerging seedlings are difficult to distinguish and easily out-competed. You can use small plant markers to place in front of where you planted each radish to avoid confusion if weeds pop up in the area.

Plant seeds ½” deep and 1″ apart in rows 8-12″ apart. You may inter-plant radishes with slower-growing crops such as carrots, beans, and cucumbers. Plant radishes 3-4 weeks before the last spring frost and 6 weeks before the first fall frost in northern climates. Plant seeds in early autumn in southern zones. Radishes can also be continually sown for a steady crop all season.

You can alternate planting small amounts of seed every few weeks so you can pick and eat radishes throughout the season as well . During a typical growing season, I may plant radish seed between 4-6 times. Thin the seedlings to 2″ apart when they are 1″ tall. Make sure to pull any weeds by hand so to not disturb the radish root. Keep the soil consistently moist.

Harvest

Radishes are very fast growing; most are ready to harvest in 20-30 days. Those left in the ground too long may start to crack or develop a bitter taste. Trim off the tops and bottom root and scrub dirt off under running water. Radishes keep well in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Pests & Diseases

It is best to choose cultivars that are disease resistant, though radishes grow so rapidly disease is not much of an issue in the home garden.

Pick off any harlequin bugs or cabbageworms if found on leaves. Remove any leaves that are infested these. You can knock any aphids off with a stream from the water hose. Make sure not to damage the plant if you use the water hose method.

If you love radishes there is no reason to not have them in your garden, since they are so easy to grow and grow so quickly. You could literally have hundreds of radishes in a growing season. They are perfect vegetables to add to your kids’ garden as well.

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