Gardening Question of the Week?
Why Do My Radishes Get Hard and Woody?
Thursday April 30, 2009
This question came from a friend of my husband, but I first looked into it about 30 years ago when I was having no success what-so-ever growing radishes. Everyone says radishes are one of the easiest vegetables to grow. They certainly grow quickly, which is why they’re often recommended for gardening with small, impatient kids. They grow so quickly you don’t have a chance to catch, let alone fix mistakes. And there are a handful of easily avoidable mistakes that can cause radish growing disappointment. Tough, woody radishes were probably grown too slowly. That happens when the temperature starts to warm up and encourage more top growth, slowly the bulb growth and when radishes don’t get enough regular water to plump them up. Here are 3 more radish growing problems to avoid from the start.
And since tomorrow is the first of the month and time for our regular Gardening Almanac, I’m giving radishes the honor of being this week’s Know and Grow Plant, too.
- Plants to Know and Grow: Radishes
- Problems Growing Radishes
Photo: awottawa / stock.xchng
Comments
When it feels like you’re tossing out lots of radish starts during thinning, think about using them as greens in a salad. They’re spicy and tasty and don’t need to go in the compost pile.
Too, if all you get are greens, don’t be too disappointed. Radish greens may feel “stickery” to your hands, but when they’re torn up in a salad you won’t notice the tiny prickles. The greens are slightly peppery and add volume and flavor to your salad.
I’ve been enjoying radishes and greens for weeks now. I started in the greenhouse, but now that’s too hot, so they’re in the garden and plugging along beautifully! YUM