How to grow Radishes in the UK
The fastest thing you can grow - ready in about 4 weeks!
- DifficultyEasy peasy
- WhereBeds or Pots
- Grows to15cm
- Spacing3cm
- Time to first pickabout 4 weeks
When to sow, plant and harvest radishes
| Sow outdoors | mid March to early September |
|---|---|
| Pick | mid April to late October |
Dates are for central England. Sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland, and up to two weeks earlier in the south and south west. Get the dates for your postcode.
Sowing it outdoors
- Pull out any weeds and rake the top of your bed until it's crumbly, like cake crumbs
- Make a little line in the soil (1cm deep) with your finger or a stick
- Drop the seeds in, about 3cm apart in the row, with rows 15cm apart
- Gently cover them with soil and pat it down
- Water with a watering can that has a sprinkler head
- Push in a label so you remember what's there
Top tips for growing radishes
- Sow a short row every 2 weeks so you always have some.
- Keep them watered or they go woody and hot.
Looking after radishes
- Week 2: Thin them out: pull out extra seedlings so each radish has a finger-width of space
Soil and feeding
Light, crumbly soil with no stones. NO fresh manure - it makes carrots and parsnips split into funny forked shapes! Use soil that was manured last year, or plain compost.
Pests and problems
- Flea beetles: nibble lots of tiny round holes in young leaves
- Slugs & snails: munch seedlings overnight, worst in wet weather
- Cover the row with fleece or fine mesh straight after sowing
Harvesting and eating radishes
Pull them up when the red tops poke out of the soil, about the size of a marble.
How to eat them: Crunch them raw, or slice thinly into a sandwich with butter.
Storing radishes
Keeps 1-2 weeks.
- Twist off the leaves
- Keep in a box or bag in the fridge
Don't freeze - they go soggy. Sow a few at a time instead so you never have too many.
Good varieties of radishes
- French Breakfast: Long red-and-white radishes with a mild taste.
- Cherry Belle: Round, bright red and very quick.
- Scarlet Globe: A reliable round red radish.
Companion planting
Grows well with
- Carrots: radishes come up fast and mark the slow carrot rows
- Parsnips: radishes come up fast and mark the slow parsnip rows
- Peas: radishes are picked before the peas need the space
Saving your own radishes seed
Summer, once a plant has flowered and the seed heads have dried.
- Leave one or two of the best plants to flower (this is called 'bolting') - don't pick them
- When the flower heads turn brown and dry, cut them on a dry day
- Hold them upside down in a paper bag and shake - the seeds fall out
- Pick out the bits of stalk and leave the seeds to dry for a week
Things to build for radishes
Where to buy radishes seeds
Thompson & Morgan · Suttons · Amazon
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Radishes questions
When should I sow radishes in the UK?
In the UK, sow radishes outdoors from mid March to early September. These dates suit central England; sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland and up to two weeks earlier in the mild south and south west.
When can I pick radishes?
Radishes is ready from mid April to late October. Pull them up when the red tops poke out of the soil, about the size of a marble.
How long do radishes take to grow?
Roughly 4 weeks from sowing or planting until the first harvest.
Are radishes easy to grow?
Radishes are rated 'easy peasy' for beginners, and can be grown in the ground or a raised bed or in pots and containers.
Plan your own garden: it tells you what to do and when, for your postcode.
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