Radish - Vegie

Radishes are such a quick, easy growing vegie which is why we chose to include them, they can be grown in containers or in a small space. Generally they germinate within 2-3 days so there is not a lot of waiting for little people. One of our sons loves harvesting radishes - his favourite by far.

How ...

• Make sure your soil is free from rocks and stones. Rake the soil smooth and mark a row by running your finger down the soil or by laying a broom handle down and pushing it lightly into the soil to make a straight line.

• Sprinkle your seeds down the row you have made - roughly 2-3 seeds every 3-5 cm.  Cover gently with soil and push down lightly. Water gently so the soil does not wash away.
• Once your seedlings are a couple of cm high you will need to ‘thin’ them out. This means to pull out some of the seedlings so the ones left are spaced approximately 3-5 cm apart. This gives your radishes enough room to grow.
• Your radishes are ready to harvest at around 3-4 weeks, don't leave them in the ground too long otherwise they become bitter and soft.
  
• Pull them out, wash and enjoy!

Tips

Grow radishes from seed directly into the ground or your pot/container – radish roots can be damaged easily.

They like full sun to partial shade but in the heat of summer choose an area that gets some afternoon shade otherwise they may bolt and go to seed. If you do live in an extremely hot climate it's best to avoid planting over summer.

Radishes need a regular, consistent supply of water (not intermittent eg no water for several days and then lots and lots of it all of a sudden) so they don't crack, they also don't like to compete with weeds so keep the area around them weed free.

In winter they will grow a little slower and take longer to reach harvest size.

Sow new seeds every 2-3 weeks so you have a continuous supply.