Mature radish plant

Your browser's Javascript functionality is turned off. Please turn it on so that you can experience the full capabilities of this site. Although among the easiest and fastest vegetables to grow, radishes can be overwhelming. Every seed in a generous packet sprouts and very shortly literally hundreds of radishes are demanding harvest.

Radishes are actually fairly easy to harvest, and problems only arise if a radish is accidentally left in the ground too long after it matures. Even if a radish has been left in the ground past its maturity, however, you can still harvest its seeds a little later on. If you want to harvest radishes, allow spring radishes to mature in the garden for days and winter radishes for days. When you think they're ready, scrape away the soil next to the green shoots to check the roots, which should be 1 inch long. If they're not, give your radishes some more time to grow. Once you're ready to harvest the radishes, pull each one straight out of the ground.

Radishes can be one of the easiest vegetables to grow and they certainly are one of the fastest, but they can also be a little fussy about their growing conditions. There is not much you can do about these problems once you have harvested your radishes. Luckily, all of these problems are avoidable if you grow your radishes in good conditions. This is one of the most common radish growing problems. Although some varieties of radishes are naturally spicer than others, the red globe type radishes we grow for salads should be quite palatable.

Radishes are among my favorite garden crops, and I am getting ready to make my third spring sowing. All of my plantings have a reasonable chance of success, because I am committed to spoiling the little darlings with indulgent care - the first truth I must tell about growing radishes. Just because radishes grow fast does not mean they are easy or carefree. Here are seven more truths about growing radishes. Radishes can mature really fast, but not always.