Radishes are the ultimate kid's gardening veggie, I think.
Except for the fact that they aren't very tasty, they are otherwise a completely satisfying veggie to grow. The seeds are a manageable size (well, a little small, but mine managed.) They grow to harvest in about 21 days. They are tremendous fun to pull out of the ground, whether you're two, seven, or twenty seven. And they come in all kinds of fun shapes and sizes - this year we've planted cherry belle (the normal, round red radish), purple plum, white icicle (which surprised me with their spiciness!) and the French Breakfast radishes pictured above.
We've currently harvested one radish crop (about 40 radishes) and have three more planted. We all tried again this year to like them, but we still don't. So we have some happy neighbors and family members who benefited from the fun we had growing and pulling them.
It should also be pointed out that radishes are easy to fit in just about anywhere in the garden. I interplant them with onions and carrots. By the time the onions or carrots are even starting to really get big, the radishes have been plucked out and eaten, never getting in the way of the other crops' development. I also like that radishes do a good job of marking the rows where the carrots are planted, since carrots take up to three weeks to germinate and radishes rarely take more than a few days.
***This just in: I was reading a post over at the Organic Gardening forum, and learned that radish tops can be transformed into a vischyssoise soup. Radishes are a member of the brassica family and the leaves, apparently, resemble arugula in flavor... Never tried it, so I can't vouch for it personally, but might be worth trying!
9 comments:
LOL...I'm glad I'm not the only one that grows the pretty little things and doesn't like them!
Great job, kim
We did radishes last year, but they never grew. I was sad because I LOVE radishes. They're so yummy on a salad!
Not tasty? Really?
I love radishes.
Apryl - call me! You can come over and pick up a bag of lettuce, and any radishes we have that are ready for picking. And you can let me see your sweet li'l boy that I haven't even seen yet! It's been too long, girlie. Would love to see ya!
Well, you've seen him... But he was only a couple days old.
It has been too long. I'll call you this weekend.
That is a great promo for radishes! I just picked mine today and after wiping them off on my shirt, just ate 4 or 5 of them right there in the garden!
I think I'll try icicles next year!
My radishes are almost ready! Only veggie my husband actually likes. Can you believe that? Crazy man.
Oh right, I forgot I did see him that day! But I didn't want to hold him or anything, you had just gotten home! Andrew will be gone for two weeks starting tomorrow, so I'd love some company :o)
FIrst, your radishes are gorgeous. I grew radishes one year and looked forward to enjoying them in how my friend described a "very French" way - dredged in a bit of butter, and popped in your mouth. I tried a few. Later that day, I thought I was having a heart attack. I'm a pretty tough gal - natural childbirths, back labor, the works. But I swear I was in so much pain, I really thought I was dying. I went to the emergency room, and after several hours, we figured out that I was allergic to radishes, which caused some severe reflux-type stuff.
OK, not to dissuade you from growing the gorgeous things. Just a weird story. :)
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