Grow Your Own Radishes

Lesson 3: Harvesting Your First Radishes

It's That Time Already
Radishes don't hang around. If you're a first-time vegetable grower, the moment you've been waiting for could be here! Many radish varieties are ready to harvest after a month so, if you sowed your seeds in late April, it's time to pull a few for sampling. Radishes are best eaten when young. If they're left in the ground too long, they start to develop a woody texture and eventually become hollow. In addition, the flavour deteriorates from a lively tang to an unappealing bitterness. Round radishes are ready when they're about 2cm in diameter. Cylindrical varieties such as "French Breakfast" should be picked when they're a similar thickness but no longer than your thumb.

Beating the Birds
One reason why radishes are so popular with novice gardeners is that their rapid progress to maturity means you have another chance to get things right if there have been difficulties with an initial crop. Juicy young radish seedlings can be vulnerable to birds, who always have an eye open for what's on offer in the vegetable garden. If birds were a problem for your first crop, sow a second batch of seeds and use netting to keep those hungry beaks at bay. Garden centres sell all sorts of netting, which you can drape over some short canes. There are more tips on tackling pests in the next lesson.

Second Go
Re-sowing a second batch of radishes is a good idea, however successful the initial crop was. After all, if your first lot of radishes was a hit, you'll want to repeat it! Sow a second crop of seeds in the same way as the first. Continue to sow more seeds at fortnightly intervals until August to ensure an uninterrupted supply of radishes all summer.

Pic: GAP Photos/FhF Greenmedia