Radish

By Kim Willis These articles are copyrighted and may not be copied or used without the permission of the author.

One of the easiest and fastest root vegetable to grow, radishes are excellent choices for beginning gardeners and for children to grow.  They can be grown in containers and take up little space in the garden.  Because they reach eating size quickly, several crops can be grown in the same place over a season.

Radishes, Raphanus sativus, are an old crop, grown for thousands of years. Different cultures developed different types of radishes.  Asian radishes are usually long and hot and spicy while European varieties are round and not as piquant.  The root is the part of the radish most often eaten, although the seed pods are edible and eaten in some places.

There are many colors of radish roots from the familiar red outside, white inside commonly seen in salad bars to those with white on the outside and fuchsia centers, solid white, purple, and black radishes. Roots can be small and round, long oval shaped or long and tapered like a carrot. 

A special kind of radish – daikon- gets quite large and takes several months to mature.  It can be eaten like other radishes when young.  The seeds of daikon radish can be pressed into oil which is used as a biofuel. It’s sometimes used as livestock feed or as a weed suppressing cover crop.

Radishes have short leafy tops.  The leaves have a rough feel.  Leaves have been used as a pot green.  If left too long before harvest radishes will bolt- or go to seed.  The flowers have 4 petals and are white or lavender.  They will mature quickly to long pods filled with black seeds.  Immature pods are quite tasty and can be used in salads or stir fry.  The Rat Tail radish has a long, curled pod and the pods are often pickled.

Culture

 Radishes are a cool weather crop and should be sown as soon as the soil can be worked.  Sow several small batches a few weeks apart to extend the harvest.  They will go to seed quickly or become tough and woody in hot weather so use the garden space for other crops in the heat of summer.  You can then begin sowing radishes again in late summer, as the weather cools.  Frost won’t bother them much.  Hard freezes will make the roots soft however.

Radishes, being a root crop, prefer sandy light soil.  If your soil is heavy clay you may want to grow radishes in containers of light weight potting soil.   Containers should be 6 inches deep for round root varieties, or a foot deep for long tapered root types. You generally won’t need fertilizer, unless you are using a potting mix or your soil is very poor.  You can add a garden fertilizer when you prepare the soil if needed.

Radishes should be grown in full sun.  They need even, consistent moisture.  Dry conditions tend to make them pithy and very hot tasting.  Too much moisture may make them crack, but they are still edible. 

Sow radish seed about a ½ inch deep and ½ apart.  They usually germinate quickly if the soil is moist, within a week.  Thin to 1 or 2 inches apart, depending on the size of the varieties mature root.  And they grow very quickly; you can usually begin harvesting them in a month.  Harvest the roots as soon as they are big enough for you.  Don’t let them get too big or they will become woody and tough. 

Store radishes with the tops on or off, in the refrigerator, loosely wrapped in a damp paper towel and they will last a couple weeks.  Radish pods should also be stored refrigerated.

Pests of radishes include flea beetles and root maggots.  Flea beetles are small black beetles that make the radish leaves holey and make plants less vigorous.  Root maggots come from flies that lay eggs on the soil next to radishes.  They eat the root part of the radish and make them very unappealing.

Both pests can be stopped by covering your radish crop with a lightweight, spun row cover, well anchored down on the soil.  Or gardeners can use pyrethrum to control these pests.  Root maggots can be prevented by growing radishes in containers.  While the flies could lay eggs in that soil they rarely do.  Alternate the spot where you plant radishes each year.

 Radish recipes

Once you have your radish crop you may be looking for ways to use them, other than making little radish flowers for a veggie tray or slicing them into a salad.  Radishes served with butter and sea salt is a popular new dish in fancy restaurants, and comes to us from old French recipes.  To make fancy cuisine with the little round radishes wash and trim them, then make those cute little radish “roses” or score the radish several times, cutting almost through the root from top to bottom. 

Put each radish in a small cup like a mini muffin cup, then pour hot, melted butter over the radish and sprinkle with sea salt and let cool before eating.  Honey butter works well with this too.

 You can take a crusty piece of French bread, spread it with butter and add thinly sliced radishes, then sprinkle it with sea salt or coarse kosher salt.  This is often served at picnics.  You can use any kind of radishes or bread.  This was a favorite of my grandfather, who planted radishes very early every year in a cold frame so he could have radish sandwiches.

You can also slice radishes of any kind very thinly; add some thinly sliced green onions and fry them in a small amount of hot bacon drippings or if you are a vegetarian in olive oil.  This is a good low fat sub for fried potatoes. 

 Take the fried radishes above and toss them with a little cooked pasta and some olive oil or your favorite dressing and add some cooked salad shrimp for a good side dish.

 Spicy radishes can be added to dishes like tacos or to soups.  They are good added to a cucumber salad or chicken salad.

 Radishes can be roasted for a different and delicious side dish.   Wash and halve radishes, then toss them in a plastic bag with your favorite seasonings, I like salt, paprika, onion and garlic powder.  Spread on a baking sheet and cook at 400 degrees until slightly crispy on the outside.  You may be able to cook these on the grill too.