SpringSummerFallWinter

About Radishes

Radishes are the beginner’s 3–4 week crop. Sow often, harvest small. Heat and crowding make them pithy and hot. They also mark slow rows of carrots and parsnips: by the time the carrots or parsnips need the space, radishes are gone.

When to Plant

Direct-sow 4 weeks before last frost, then every 10 days through spring. Sow again in late summer for fall. Skip high summer unless you have a heat-tolerant daikon type.

How to Plant

Sow ½ inch deep, 1 inch apart; thin to 2 inches. Rows 6–12 inches. Even moisture. Companion-sow with carrots: radishes germinate fast and loosen the crust.

When to Harvest

Pull as soon as roots are the size of a marble to a ping-pong ball, depending on type. Leaving them in the ground is how they turn spongy.