Skip to main content

How to grow radishes for a bountiful and nutritious harvest

Your guide to planting, growing, and harvesting radishes

Radishes don't always get the love they deserve, but these little root vegetables contain lots of flavor. You can shred them and add them to salads, soups, and more. Radishes are also incredibly easy to grow, perfect for gardeners who are just finding their footing outdoors or for gardeners with young children interested in gardening.

These unique root veggies are a great first vegetable for children, as the ease of growing them and their brilliantly red color make them entertaining and rewarding. If you want to add these root vegetables to your fall or spring garden, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about how to grow radishes.

Related Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

30 minutes

What You Need

  • Radish seeds

  • Garden soil

  • Sand

  • Compost

  • Water

  • Mulch

  • Sunny location

Radish in dirt

What are the different varieties of radishes?

French Breakfast is an old heritage variety that's known for its small, cylindrical radishes that are bright red with white tips. This variety is mild and crisp, excellent for a simple bread and butter breakfast or a more complicated soup. Its small size and speedy growth make this variety especially popular for container gardens.

If you’re looking for a classic radish experience, you can’t go wrong with Cherry Belle. This variety produces round, red radishes with a crisp texture and a mild, sweet flavor. On the other hand, if a classic experience is the last thing on your mind, then why not grow Golden Helios radishes? As the name suggests, they're a bright gold color, and, although there isn’t a significant difference in flavor, the stunning color makes it a show stopper. The radish greens are equally appealing, with a pretty streak of purple that highlights them in salads or sandwiches.

Black Spanish radishes are a unique treat, but they take some patience to grow. They’re slower to mature than other radish varieties, but their appearance and flavor make them worth the wait. They have black exteriors and white centers. This variety’s flavor has been described as slightly peppery, which makes it an interesting addition to a wide range of dishes.

Three Black Spanish radishes on a wooden background

Planting radishes

Radishes can be planted throughout spring and fall, and multiple crops of radishes can be grown in a single growing season. However, you should avoid growing radishes through the middle of summer, as they are sensitive to heat. Radishes can still be grown indoors in containers during summer, though. Hot weather causes radishes to bolt (produce flowers) extremely quickly, which renders the radish itself bitter and unpleasant.

You can start planting radishes four to six weeks before the last frost in spring or the first frost in fall. Some varieties are better suited for one season than the other, so be sure to familiarize yourself with the variety you’re growing.

Step 1: Choose a sunny planting spot, either with full sun or mostly sun with some shade. Radishes will grow in the shade, but they produce smaller radishes and larger leaves.

Step 2: Prepare soil that is loose and fairly rich. Sand can help loosen dense soil, while compost can improve the soil’s overall quality.

Step 3: Plant seeds half an inch to an inch deep, spacing them roughly 2 inches apart.

A bundle of freshly harvested red radishes

Watering radishes

Watering is important for radishes to grow properly. They need consistent moisture, but can still develop problems if left in standing water.

Step 1: Add a layer of mulch around your radishes.

Step 2: Water your radishes on a consistent schedule.

Step 3: If you can't check your garden daily, install drip irrigation to keep the soil at the right level of moisture.

Mulch chips

Weeding radishes

Radishes aren’t often plagued by pests, but weeds can easily crowd radishes and outcompete them for resources, especially while the radishes are young.

Step 1: Make plans to regularly weed your radish crops.

Step 2: If you find yourself weeding your radish crops too much, consider using mulch as a weed suppressor.

A pile of harvested French Breakfast radishes

Harvesting radishes

It’s best not to leave your radishes in the ground for too long past the point of maturity. Once they mature, they’ll have a few weeks of extra growth before they become tough and bitter. Some varieties are designed to avoid this process altogether or to at least lengthen the amount of time before they become unpleasant, but in general, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Harvest times can vary between radish varieties, so knowing the kind of radish you’re growing is essential. The quickest maturing varieties tend to be ready after three or four weeks, while slower growing varieties take five to seven weeks.

Step 1: Keep an eye out for leaf growth. You can typically tell how quickly a variety is maturing by how quickly the leaves are growing.

Step 2: Then, dig up a single radish and use its maturity to gauge whether or not you should harvest the rest of your crop.

Step 3: After your harvest, trim and wash your radishes to store in the refrigerator.

Radishes are easy to grow, and they produce results quickly. If you’re looking to squeeze in an extra vegetable at the end of a growing season or want a vegetable that’s easy enough for anyone to grow, then why not give radishes a try? As a bonus, radish seeds store very well, so don’t worry if you change your mind after getting the seeds! They’ll still be there later for whenever you want them.

Editors' Recommendations

What types of plants can you grow from garden boxes? You’ll be surprised with all your options!
Your comprehensive guide to choosing and setting up a garden box
Garden boxes with legs

Growing plants in containers can be a convenient way to enjoy harvests when you don’t have time or energy to build full-blown garden beds or manage crops directly planted in the ground. However, there may be times when you simply need bigger containers.

There’s where garden boxes come in. While they may sometimes be conflated with raised garden beds, garden boxes are often smaller and much more transportable than beds — many also come with convenient features like wheels and legs, too! If you feel curious about garden boxes, we’ve got you covered with a comprehensive guide on what they are and what you can plant in them.

Read more
Why do gardeners use raised beds? Here are reasons why you should grow crops and flowers in raised gardens
From allowing you to control soil to helping reduce weeds, raised garden beds can come in handy
Raised garden beds

Ask any seasoned gardener why they use raised beds, and the reason likely boils down to control. Raised beds allow you to control what goes into your crops while giving you the luxury of ample space to work with. Control, of course, can mean a wide variety of things. Here are the main reasons you should consider growing your fruits and veggies in raised beds.

1. Raised beds allow you to control your soil conditions
When you grow your plants in a raised bed, you have the power to control the soil that holds your plants. If you're raising edible crops, this means you can choose an organic growing medium for peace of mind. It's also easier to amend the soil to exactly what you need it be, whether you'd like it to be more well draining or acidic.
You ultimately won't have to do a lot of tilling to break up compact soil. Plus, soil also tends to warm up faster in beds during the springtime, so you don't have to wait for the ground to warm up before you start planting.

Read more
Raspberry bush care: Keep yours controlled and producing for years
Tips to help you control and care for your raspberry bushes
Several ripe red raspberries on a vine

Garden fresh fruit and sun-warmed berries are a delicious treat, but what happens when your plant gets out of control? Instead of tasty treats, you could end up with a headache.

Raspberry bushes are one of the plants that are likely to grow wild or become uncontrollable, making harvest time a hassle. If you want fresh raspberries without their vines taking over your garden, follow these tips to keep them in check.

Read more