How to Grow Radishes

Growing radishes is a great place to start if you are a beginner gardener! They’re cold hardy, pest and disease resistant, easy to grow, and fast – some varieties are ready for harvest after only 30 days! They are mostly eaten raw in salads or as a garnish, adding a fresh crunchy texture to any dish they’re added to. If you’re looking to plant a variety of colors, try the ‘Easter Egg’ mix.

Radishes come in many different sizes, colors and flavors, so it’s easy to find something that suits your needs. You can even plant them closely in shallow trays and harvest the edible young sprouts as highly nutritious microgreens.

 

Planting Radishes

Grow radishes in a medium to large sized pot wit a minimum diameter of 8″, spacing seeds 2″ apart. Cover with 1/2″ of soil, and seeds should sprout in 4-6 days. Radishes can be started indoors 4-6 weeks before the last spring frost date, or direct sown outdoors once the risk of frost has passed.

When starting indoors, don’t forget that most radishes grow very fast! It’s important not to start them too early or they’ll be ready before your garden!

To eliminate the guesswork in selecting the right size containers for your plants, we’ve put together a list of commonly grown herbs, veggies, fruit and flowers along with the minimum pot sizes required by each.

Starting a container garden? Grab my free guide on choosing the best sized pots for each veggie, fruit, and herb in your container garden – Veggie Garden Potting Guide

 

Watering Radishes

Keep well watered, but do not let the soil get soggy. Water when the top 1″ of soil is dry to the touch.

 

Where Can I Grow It?

Grow radishes outdoors, as they tend to grow best in cool weather. They can be planted in spring, and again for fall harvest when planted from August through October.

 

Radish Growing Tips

Radishes grow very quickly, and some varieties may be ready to harvest in as little as 3 weeks after planting!

Harvest promptly once they have matured, as they get woody and bitter if left too long. All parts of the radish are edible – root, leaf and seed.

Plant radishes every 1-2 weeks for a continuous supply.

 

Companion Planting

Grow radishes together with nasturtiums, lettuce, cucumbers, peas, eggplant, or beans for beneficial effects. Growing radishes near lettuce is said to improve the taste (of the radishes).

Avoid planting radishes near grapes.