Radishes

[blossom]

Hi all,

this is my first time at growing radishes. I planted a load back in March/April but I only seem to have leaves growing. I have I done something wrong? Should I feed them?
Thanks

[bramble]

Hi Blossom, have you pulled any of the leaves to see if they have developed yet. Radishes are a quick growing crop and should mature quite quickly. Check them and see. Let me know how you get on.

[Doggler]

I chickened out of growing from seed and bought some radish plants from the garden centre. I pulled my first radishes on the weekend as they were poking out of the soil and looked a decent size. The small ones tasted ok but the bigger ones were bitter. Unfortunately the label didn't say what variety they were. They weren't that much bigger than a marble. Anyone know what the best variety to grow are?

[blossom]

I have moved the leaves aside and it doesn't look like there is any raddish part really, just little red bits. I had a little dig of one and there was hardly anything there.

[JennieAtkinson]

Doggler - radishes are quite easy to grow from seed. Try a few in a large pot and see how you get on. I sow into a large pot every 3/4 weeks for a continuous supply. Plenty of free seeds going with magazines! Its worth having a go.

I also eat the leaves when they are young. Nice in a mixed leaf salad.

[Alice]

Jennie, thanks for the tip about eating the radish leaves in salad. Never had a problem growing radish, next thing to weeds, but never thought about eating the leaves. How does a country girl get to be so urban. Urban did you say. Country bumpkin to city types and urban fool to country folk. I'll eat the radish leaves and see if that helps.Thanks again.

[blackkitty]

I grow french breakfast and cherry bell. I sow them thinly over a patch, not in rows every two weeks or so. I do find that if I don't use them fast enough and they start to go to seed the roots become very tough and bitter. So maybe that's whats happened to yours. I've found several things are going to seed very quickly at the moment, I think its all the rain.

[andrewo]

The problem has been the weather, it has gone from hot to cold, to dry to wet, this will have an impact on any outdoor plant, if the site is exposed they will literally stop growing and wait for the warmth. Daft question but have you been watering them? Yes, I know it has been raining but sometimes rain doesn't actually get to the crop you want to grow in the quantities you need.

[SueA]

I'm trying growing French breakfast radish in modules in a tray this year (saw it in Amateur Gardening mag.) as for the last couple of years mine have been rubbish in the veg. patch- something has nibbled them, they've not grown very big or they have gone to seed before developing properly.

[blossom]

Thanks very much. Yes I have been wartering them, but they are in pots, so maybe they need more? They were a packet of mixed raddish seeds so I have no idea which ones should take the longest to grow. The slugs have had a nibble on the leaves too so they may be putting all of their energy into growing their leaves I suppose.

Thanks again

[Strepsy]

Do you think they have enough room? I planted six in a pot and strangely enough 3 developed while 3 just sat there with a couple of leaves. But now I've harvested the 3 that had grown the others have now started to swell. It's like they knew there wasn't enough room.

[blossom]

Maybe, but I think I spaced them as per the instuctions. If they don't start growing soon then maybe I will pull some up.
Does anyone else feed their veggies? Maybe that is where I am going wrong?

Thanks

[lyndap]

I've just started some french breakfast ones in a pot in the house to see if they do anything. Mine always get totally destroyed if I plant out.They have germinated,so will have to wait and see.I feed toms and durin season I feed my sweetcorn,corgettes,peppers,brassicas,but anything else seems to get on with it without any extra help,aslong as I've prepared the beds well before hand.

[Blueberry]

I sowed radishes outside at the Easter weekend (can't remember which variety they were) and I picked my first ones last weekend. They were a decent size but not huge but they did taste very nice.

I did thin out some of the radishes to give them just a bit more room to grow, but they can be grown quite close together.

[ysb33r]

I have been sowing radishes under cloches. They have germinated 5 weeks ago, but are still not at harvesting size. Anyone knows how much longer it takes for radishes to mature that are late-winter sowed?