When to Direct Sow Radish Seeds? Detailed Planting Guide

How to plant direct-sown seeds. Direct-sown plants have the same basic requirements as all vegetables: full sun (8 hours a day); soil rich in organic matter and well-drained, into which you can dig plenty of organic material such as compost; an appropriate amount of nutrients from compost and fertilizer; and water.

Follow the sowing instructions on the packet. To do this, you need to know your “last frost date”. This is the date on which, on average, the last frost occurs in your area, and most planting instructions revolve around it. Call your local cooperative extension office (find an office here) or ask an experienced gardener near you. Getting advice from nearby is very important, because the last frost date can vary greatly over short distances.

Radishes are sown one to two weeks before the last frost date. You should wait six to seven weeks, then pull one to see whether the root is ready to eat; most varieties mature within 55 to 70 days. However, do not leave carrots in the ground so long that they become large and woody. Like most root vegetables, they are most delicious when young. As with all root vegetables, carrots do best in well-drained soil with no rocks, which would make them crooked. Amend dense, sticky clay with plenty of compost, or even some sand. You can plant a second batch of carrots in late summer for an autumn harvest.

Radishes have a pungent flavor, and within three to four weeks they reach eating size faster than anything else. Some people associate them negatively, having encountered too many overly pungent radishes at salad bars. But there are many kinds of radishes, and they come in white, pink and light purple as well as the familiar ruby color. You can cook radishes, or eat them raw in salads or as a snack. Start sowing in batches about two weeks before the last frost. You can sow from late summer for an autumn harvest, but do not try to grow radishes in hot weather.