If you've never grown a vegetable before, radishes are a great place to start.
They're one of the fastest vegetables you can grow from seed, they don't take up much room, and you don't even have to start them indoors. Plant the seeds directly in the garden and, depending on the variety, you could be pulling radishes in about a month.
They're also a great crop for spring and fall when many of our summer vegetables aren't growing yet.
QUICK GROWING GUIDE
Sun: Full sun to partial shade
Plant: Early spring and again in fall
Planting depth: About ½ inch
Spacing: About 1–2 inches apart
Water: Keep the soil from completely drying out
Fertilizer: Usually very little, if any
Harvest: Often 20–30 days after planting
Difficulty: Very easy
PLANT RADISHES DIRECTLY IN THE GARDEN
Radishes are one vegetable I wouldn't bother starting indoors.
They grow so quickly that it's easier to plant the seeds directly where you want them to grow.
Plant the seeds about ½ inch deep and about an inch apart.
Once they come up, thin crowded seedlings so the remaining plants have roughly 2 inches of space.
And don't feel bad about thinning them. Crowded radishes may grow lots of leaves without developing nice round roots underneath.
WHEN TO PLANT RADISHES
Radishes like cool weather.
Plant them in early spring as soon as the ground can be worked. You can also plant another crop toward the end of summer or in early fall as temperatures begin cooling down.
They aren't particularly fond of hot summer weather.
When temperatures get hot, radishes may become tough or overly spicy, or they may send up a flower stalk instead of making a nice root.
So think of radishes as a spring and fall vegetable, rather than something you need to keep growing all summer.
WHERE TO PLANT RADISHES
Choose an area with plenty of sun.
They can tolerate some shade, which makes them handy for squeezing into available spaces in the garden.
The most important thing is that the soil isn't extremely hard or packed down.
Remember, the part you're waiting to eat is developing underground.
You don't need perfect soil. Just loosen it up before planting so the radish has room to grow.
WATERING RADISHES
Keep the soil reasonably moist while your radishes are growing.
You don't need a complicated watering schedule.
If the soil is getting dry, water it.
Letting the soil repeatedly go from very dry to very wet can cause poor-quality or cracked radishes.
Since radishes grow so quickly, you're only taking care of them for a few weeks anyway.
DO RADISHES NEED FERTILIZER?
Usually, not much.
If you're planting in reasonably decent garden soil, radishes may grow perfectly well without adding anything.
If your soil is poor, you can mix in some compost or use a general garden fertilizer before planting.
I wouldn't continually fertilize them.
Too much nitrogen can encourage beautiful leafy tops when what you really want is a nice radish underneath.
WANT MORE RADISHES? DON'T PLANT THEM ALL AT ONCE
Here's one of the easiest ways to get a longer harvest.
Instead of planting an entire packet of seeds on the same day, plant a short row.
Then plant another small row a week or two later.
Keep doing this during cool weather.
Otherwise, you may end up with 50 radishes ready to pull at exactly the same time—which is fine if you really love radishes!
IF YOUR RADISHES AREN'T DOING WELL
Lots of leaves but no radish: The plants may be overcrowded, getting too much nitrogen, or the weather may be getting too warm.
Radishes are tiny: Give them a little more time, but make sure they aren't crowded.
Radishes are woody or extremely spicy: They may have stayed in the ground too long or grown during hot weather.
Radishes are cracked: Uneven watering can contribute to cracking.
Leaves have tiny holes: Flea beetles are a common culprit. A few holes usually aren't anything to panic about, but lightweight row cover can help if they're doing significant damage.
WHEN TO HARVEST RADISHES
This is the fun part because you don't have to wait very long.
Many small radish varieties are ready in only 20–30 days, although varieties differ.
You can usually see the top of the radish beginning to push above the soil.
Once it looks like it's reached the expected size for the variety you're growing, pull one and check it.
If it looks good, start harvesting.
Don't leave mature radishes sitting in the ground for weeks. They can become tough, woody, or overly spicy.
DON'T THROW AWAY THE RADISH TOPS
Here's something beginning gardeners may not realize:
Radish greens are edible too.
Young tender leaves can be added to salads, and larger greens can be cooked similarly to other leafy greens.
So you're actually getting two foods from one little plant.
DON'T OVERTHINK GROWING RADISHES
Radishes may be one of the best vegetables for a beginning gardener because you get results fast.
Plant a seed about half an inch deep, give it some water, and wait.
In a few weeks, pull one up and see what you've got.
And if it doesn't turn out perfectly?
Plant another row.
With radishes, you can try again and have another harvest before some vegetables have even produced their first tomato.