Growing Radishes in the Home Garden

Radishes grow rapidly making these easy-to-grow veggies the perfect plants for kids and beginning gardeners. Seeds germinate within days and plants grow rapidly – producing crisp young radishes within as few as 30 days.
Location: Select a sunny location that receives at least six to eight hours of sunlight a day for growing radishes. Turn the soil to a depth of five to six inches – or deeper, if you prefer to grow giant varieties of radishes.

Amending the soil: Apply 5-10-10 or 10-10-10 fertilizer to the soil following the recommended application rate. Work this into the soil well, as contact with newly planted seeds will burn the seed preventing germination. Follow with a two to three inch layer of organic matter, such as compost or aged manure, working this into the soil well. Organic matter improves aeration and promotes good drainage while releasing nutrients to growing plants.

Planting: Sow radish seeds to a depth of 1/8 to ¼ inch as soon as the soil can be worked. There is no need to wait until after the frost to grow radishes, as these hardy plants seem immune to the cold. Cover lightly with soil and water to moisten the seeds.

Watering: Keep the soil moist until seedlings emerge in 5 to 10 days, depending on the soil temperature and weather conditions. Reduce watering to once or twice a week or whenever the soil feels dry one inch below the surface.

Fertilizer: Radish typically do not require additional fertilizer, but water-soluble fertilizer can be applied every 10 days, if growth appears yellow or stunted.

Weeding: Keep weeds under control with grass clipping or other organic mulch – or simply pick them by hand. Use caution not to disrupt the roots of your radish plants when pulling weeds.

Harvesting: Harvest radishes when they are small and tender. As they mature, the flesh toughens and develops a fiery hot flavor. Young radishes are crisp and tender with a slight hint of ‘fire.’

Serving: Serve fresh radishes with dip for a tasty snack or add them to fresh garden salads to kick up flavor. Radishes also make a colorful garnish to brighten the plate.
Old timers plant radish among slow germinating crops – such as carrots – to ‘mark the row.’ Once the carrots emerge the radishes are nearly ready for harvest. Try adding radish plants to window boxes or containers or grow them on the windowsill in a sunny location.

More work by this author:
Growing Zucchini in the Home Garden
Growing Corn in the Home Garden
How to Grow Sugar Snap Peas