Radishes - how to tell when ripe?

[sandspider]

Hi all

Possibly a silly question, but is there a way to tell when radishes are ready to lift, apart from lifting a trial plant?

Daughter planted M&S radish seeds and they're growing really well, but I have no idea how to tell when they might be ready?

Chers.

[mrbadexample]

You should be able to see them, or scrape a little dirt away to check if it's formed properly. You will probably find that they start to push their way upwards out of the ground.

[sandspider]

Thanks. Sounds like they're not there yet then. I'll be patient!

[greenishfing]

Unless you have managed to plant them much more neatly and evenly than me there will be some very close together. Take out one of these to let the others grow bigger. Once they start to swell they grow very quickly. Even tiny ones taste nice.

[sandspider]

Nope, not at all neatly planted! Will have a look at the soil, and pull one if I think they're worthy.

Cheers.

[bramble]

Radishes are one of the fastest crops.
Mine were sown 4 weeks ago and looking like I will be eating them soon.
I sowed the seeds individually because I had nothing better to do.
Sowed them in a deep window box and they look good.

[Bren In Pots]

I sown french breakfast radish 5 weeks ago and have started eating them today.

[woodlouse]

I've been having great success so far with Cherry Belle radishes in the green house this year, with just a single one meter row that I've been pulling (last week and a half) and then filling in with new seeds. Like others have said, it's been about four weeks (maybe five) since my first sow. I'm pulling when the bulb is about an inch in diameter... you should be able to guage from the top of the bulb poking above the soil line. Slice 'em thin and throw in soups or as part of a light salad.

My line of "sparkler" (?) radishes are taking longer, and I have had to do some thinning. I also have a block of watermelon radish that seem to be doing great, but again, I will probably try a little thinning soon to encourage slightly larger bulb size.

I would say experiment. They grow so quickly and require little room that you can really go to town finding what is right for your situation and soil etc... The thinned harvests can still be sliced and thrown in lots of different meals - I've been using them in large, free for all chilli con carne batches with different beans, sweet corn, diced baby potatoes etc...

A fellow user turned me on to using the leaves - thinned out or otherwise - in stir-fries, because they are a little hairy for salads. They quickly lose that quality when lightly cooked. Haven't tried steaming them yet, but they have so far gone into quite a few crock pot/stews/slow cooker meals. Just be sure to chop and add them towards the end so they don't turn to slop and lose most of their nutrients.

Hope this helps.

[Babru]

I picked a couple of mine yesterday, they were Sparkler too. Still pretty small though the leaves were quite big. Got me wondering if I could eat the leaves, so I did look it up. We'll be dining off the whole plant next time.

[woodlouse]

Babru: Not sure if you read the responses, but the post before yours mentioned my personal experience and use with the leaves. Soups, stir-fries, stews... they take the edge off the mildly spikey leaves. Just don't over cook them, or they turn to almost nothing. Add them towards the end, like most dried stuff you might have stored. Don't waste. You got a chicken dinner with some veg'? Drop 'em in like you would with fine greens that only need to get slightly cooked or turned. The cute little semi-spikey feeling goes away.

[self-contained]

I ate my radish tops wilted into my pasta today, along with some dandelion leaves, walking onion leaves and fennel leaves. It was very good! You can do the same with turnip tops too, though better with smaller/younger leaves rather than the leaves that have grown by the time you harvest the root. Those might be okay too, if they were blanched first.