Roots & tubers
Radish
Quick succession filler.
- Outside
- Direct Apr and Sep, a short row at a time
- Where
- Raised bed, grow bag, or in ground
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Light and often; even growth keeps them mild
- Harvest
- May to Jun, then Oct, pull small
The gap-filler: radishes sown in April and again in September, ready in a month, gone before anything else needs the space. No crop asks less or answers faster.
Growing
Direct sow a short row at a time through April rather than all at once, and repeat the trick in September for an October crop. Thin immediately to an inch and pull at marble to ping-pong size, since an old radish is pith and regret. Summer sowings bolt and bite and are not worth the seed. Sprinkle often rather than soaking; a radish that never stalls stays mild, and one checked by dry soil turns hot and hollow.
Varieties
Cherry Belle is the four-week standard; French Breakfast brings the looks and a milder bite.
Pests
Flea beetles pinhole the tops without costing the root much, and the maggot that troubles turnips mostly skips these cool-season sowings; netting settles both if perfection matters.
In the kitchen
Halved onto buttered bread with flaky salt, a recipe the French already finished. The tops blend into a decent pesto for the thrifty.