Monday, October 11, 2010

Fall Radishes

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There’s a ton of catch up posts to get posting.  I’ll start with the radishes that were planted.  There are a couple of varieties planted in the salad bed.  This bed had lemon squash and watermelons this past summer.  Now, there is a variety of lettuces, onions, and radishes growing. 

Radishes are a snap to grow.  Jaune D’Or Ovale and Watermelon Radishes were planted on September 16.  By September 20, they had germinated.  Harvesting of the Jaune D’Or Ovale began on October 10.  Keep the soil moist, not wet and radishes will grow without much trouble.  They need plenty of sun and well drained soil.  Since they’re a root crop, remove any stones so they can grow nice and fat.  As they plump, the crop needs to be thinned.  I simply eat them as they are thinned.  The image above is a bunch of radishes that were thinned to help the others fatten up.

A package of radish seeds cost around $2 and produce enough radishes to make it well worth growing them instead of buying them.  Imagine how much better they taste just after the dirt has been rinsed off.  They are a lot crunchier than the store variety too.  Since radishes are fairly small, not much landscape is required to grow a crop.  A pot on a sunny patio might even work.  Radishes are ideal for the gardener that wants to try growing vegetables.

Give it a shot.

4 comments:

Susan in the Pink Hat said...

I have a hard time with radishes; they don't agree with my palate. A little too spicy. Although I saw a My French Garden posted some pictures from a French marketplace where they were selling black radishes. That intrigued me enough to try them.

Anonymous said...

lovely looking radishes. I have some planted around my zucchini and cucumbers as companion plants. I don't eat them, just them them grow and grow to help protect the other plants. I think in the spring I will have an area to just a few radishes. I will look for a mild variety. Sincerely, Emily

MAYBELLINE said...

Read the descriptions of varieties of radishes on their package,seed catalogs, and the internet. Champion looks like it might be a mild variety. I mostly use radishes sliced into salads to give a little peppery flavor.

Glennis said...

Radishes are such a rewarding crop for teaching children to garden! Easy and with something to eat pretty quickly on!