What are you planting for the fall? Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and carrots? Me too. But I am also planting many other things like snow peas and my favorite snack – radishes. If you have only ever planted these wonderful veggies in the spring garden you are really missing the boat, because fall and winter radishes are the most flavorful of all. So, let me recommend you grow radishes this year. But not just those little round red ones, those are great but there is a world of radishes to explore.
Offering a peppery, satisfying crunch with every bite, radishes have a unique place in the hearts of veggie lovers. A root from the Brassica family and a cousin to cabbage, the many shapes, sizes and colors of different radish varieties is surprising. In the U.S., the average large radish is red, round with a glistening white interior and roughly the size of a quarter or so. Another type is the creamy white daikon - a true tuber with the tail to show for it, and a winter radish, while I grow the red ones in my early spring garden, the white daikon or icicle radish (and more of the red ones too) fill my fall and winter garden. Not red or white, the original radish was a long thin dark brown to black root. Other varieties come in pink, dark grey, orange, purple, two-tone green and white, and yellow. I love to grow them all!
I know that radishes may not be the most popular vegetable in your garden, but did you know that they are one of the healthiest? It is true, these undervalued root vegetables are packed with nutrients. They may even help or prevent some common health conditions. Believe it or not, all parts of the radish are edible. The leaves, flowers, pods and seeds are commonly consumed in most parts of the world – and in my kitchen too.
Radishes are powerhouses of vitamins and nutrition that are eaten, mostly raw, all over the world, often mixed in with stews or in different salads. Radishes are rich in Vitamin C which helps in rebuilding your tissues, keeping your bones and teeth strong, and rebuilding your blood vessels. A simple fact is that consuming your Vitamin C-rich radishes can help in fighting diseases and rescues cells from destructive free radicals. Being a good source of fiber, radish also helps your system to function regularly, as well as keeping a healthy metabolism. Plus, consuming radishes has been shown to help regulate blood sugar levels, prevent dehydration, aid in urinary health, reduce fever, and lots more.
Radishes are powerhouses of vitamins and nutrition that are eaten, mostly raw, all over the world, often mixed in with stews or in different salads. Radishes are rich in Vitamin C which helps in rebuilding your tissues, keeping your bones and teeth strong, and rebuilding your blood vessels. A simple fact is that consuming your Vitamin C-rich radishes can help in fighting diseases and rescues cells from destructive free radicals. Being a good source of fiber, radish also helps your system to function regularly, as well as keeping a healthy metabolism. Plus, consuming radishes has been shown to help regulate blood sugar levels, prevent dehydration, aid in urinary health, reduce fever, and lots more.
If you are buying your radishes, make sure they're not too large or they're apt to be hollow or pithy. The greens and the roots are used in cooking, especially with additions like spinach. Just wash them well and make sure they're not limp or yellow. Before refrigerating radishes, wash them, remove the greens from the top, and place them in plastic baggies with a paper towel at the bottom. This optimizes moisture content from the rest of the radish and helps keep them fresh for about a week. Sliced, they make a zippy addition to salads and if you are not adding the leaves and slices to your sandwiches you are missing something special.
Radishes are a popular early spring or fall and winter garden crop in our Hays County gardens, planted and harvested early and seemingly impervious to our normal winter frost. Radishes can grow in partial shade, require very little room, and mature very quickly. They are well suited to small gardens, flower beds, and containers. Heck, a row just about six feet long is plenty of space to provide for a family of four.
Radishes need loose, well-drained soil to allow the roots to expand easily. If the soil is crusty, the roots become misshapen. To prepare the soil, remove rocks, trash, and large sticks from the planting area. Compost or small amounts of plant material such as grass and leaves can be mixed into the soil to make it richer. I prefer to grow my radishes in raised beds filled with a wonderful light, fluffy, compost rich soil.
Radishes are a popular early spring or fall and winter garden crop in our Hays County gardens, planted and harvested early and seemingly impervious to our normal winter frost. Radishes can grow in partial shade, require very little room, and mature very quickly. They are well suited to small gardens, flower beds, and containers. Heck, a row just about six feet long is plenty of space to provide for a family of four.
Radishes need loose, well-drained soil to allow the roots to expand easily. If the soil is crusty, the roots become misshapen. To prepare the soil, remove rocks, trash, and large sticks from the planting area. Compost or small amounts of plant material such as grass and leaves can be mixed into the soil to make it richer. I prefer to grow my radishes in raised beds filled with a wonderful light, fluffy, compost rich soil.
If you are planting your radishes in the ground, then be sure to work the soil to a depth of about 6 to 8 inches. Turn each shovelful completely over so all the plant material is covered. Scatter 1 cup of fertilizer, such as 10-20-10, on the soil for each 10 feet of row to be planted. Rake the soil until it is smooth and work up the beds into two hills about 10 inches apart. Now most of you who have read my column before will know that I am a ‘no-till’ gardener – I believe that tilling disrupts the normal soil food web, wastes the nitrogen plants need by allowing it to be released into the air, and actually can do more harm than good in the garden. That having been said, your soil needs to be very loose for radishes to do well so go ahead and till if you want to, I won’t look!
Whether planting in ground or in a raised bed or container, plant the seeds anywhere from October through February. Using a hoe handle, stick, or similar object, make a furrow ½ inch deep down the center of the hills you prepared. Plant the seeds ½ inch deep and 1 inch apart in the row. Cover them lightly with loose soil and sprinkle them with water. The plants should begin to pop up in 4 to 6 days. Make several plantings 8 to 10 days apart for a steady supply of radishes. They will be ready for harvest in as quickly as just 4 to 5 weeks from planting. Remember that while they are growing you may want to pick a leaf or two off of each radish as the leaves can also be eaten, especially when they are young and tender.
Begin thinning the radishes when the roots start expanding. Pull every other plant. The larger roots can be eaten; those left in the row will continue to get bigger without being crowded. Keep the radishes free of weeds, which rob weak root systems of nutrients and moisture.
Harvest your radishes when they are young and tender, if left in the ground too long, they get tough and hot tasting. Simply pull the radishes out of the soil, cut off the tops and wash the radishes well. Unlike store bought radishes, home-grown radishes will keep 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator, or until the next planting is ready for harvest.
Because radishes mature so quickly, diseases usually are not a problem. Check the plants daily and treat them with an approved fungicide if you must, but only if diseases appear. Neem oil, sulfur, and other fungicides are available for this purpose. Always read and follow the label directions.
After the radishes get too old or start going to seed, pull them out and place them in your compost pile if the soil is to be replanted soon. If the soil is to be left idle, the old radishes and tops can be turned into the soil, helping to build the soil. Or better yet, allow the radishes to stay in the ground serving as a green cover crop until you are ready to plant in that area again – they will be very beneficial to the soil micro-structure and the subsurface microbiology.
Begin thinning the radishes when the roots start expanding. Pull every other plant. The larger roots can be eaten; those left in the row will continue to get bigger without being crowded. Keep the radishes free of weeds, which rob weak root systems of nutrients and moisture.
Harvest your radishes when they are young and tender, if left in the ground too long, they get tough and hot tasting. Simply pull the radishes out of the soil, cut off the tops and wash the radishes well. Unlike store bought radishes, home-grown radishes will keep 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator, or until the next planting is ready for harvest.
Because radishes mature so quickly, diseases usually are not a problem. Check the plants daily and treat them with an approved fungicide if you must, but only if diseases appear. Neem oil, sulfur, and other fungicides are available for this purpose. Always read and follow the label directions.
After the radishes get too old or start going to seed, pull them out and place them in your compost pile if the soil is to be replanted soon. If the soil is to be left idle, the old radishes and tops can be turned into the soil, helping to build the soil. Or better yet, allow the radishes to stay in the ground serving as a green cover crop until you are ready to plant in that area again – they will be very beneficial to the soil micro-structure and the subsurface microbiology.
If you have never enjoyed your own fresh, home-grown radishes, I highly recommend them for your fall garden; delicious and darn good for you, radishes just can’t be beat!
Happy Gardening!!
Happy Gardening!!
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