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Post by peppero on Apr 20, 2012 7:13:08 GMT -5
when i first started gardening and knew nothing i could grow radishes. then i quit growing them. time passes and i have tried growing them again, now that i have years of gardening experience, some (more or less) knowledge, i find that i cannot grow a decent radish root of any kind. i and my constant companion and mirror twin, the big dummy, would like some input from somebody smarter than we are. anybody want to risk their reputation? jon  |
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greltam
grub
Everything IS a conspiracy :]
Posts: 59
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Post by greltam on Apr 20, 2012 8:41:25 GMT -5
From what I've come across online, the problem seems to be too much nitrogen or too much shade.
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Post by peppero on Apr 20, 2012 10:01:09 GMT -5
thanks for taking the time to respond. i am trying different locations to see if that will help. i use compost and aged cow manure mixed with leaves and plan a soil test. thanks again. jon
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Post by 12540dumont on Apr 20, 2012 18:59:47 GMT -5
Peppero, the time I had trouble with them, the irrigation was broken and I didn't know. They weren't getting enough water. It seems like they really like that sort of damp spring conditions.
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Post by peppero on Apr 20, 2012 20:01:27 GMT -5
i hope you are right. i have several sowings going at present and the ground is moist, plus it it raining now and will continue through the night. maybe, just maybe. thanks for the reply. jon  |
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Post by Drahkk on Apr 21, 2012 3:59:12 GMT -5
Jon, have you tried multiple sources of seed? If not, you might want to try a germination test on what you've got left to make sure it's not bad seed. Germination should be near 100% on good radish seed.
If not that, then hopefully the soil test will have an answer. I know root crops can suffer from too much nitrogen or too little phosphate, but radishes are light feeders at best. They like plenty of organic material (which you have), and moderate to heavy watering (which you also have). The only other thing I know to check is pH. If compost or manure isn't rotted enough they can make your soil too acidic. Radishes prefer near neutral, around 6.5. If it's much below a 6.0 you might want to mix in a little lime to bring it up.
Mike B
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Apr 21, 2012 19:22:10 GMT -5
when i first started gardening and knew nothing i could grow radishes. then i quit growing them. time passes and i have tried growing them again, now that i have years of gardening experience, some (more or less) knowledge, i find that i cannot grow a decent radish root of any kind. i and my constant companion and mirror twin, the big dummy, would like some input from somebody smarter than we are. anybody want to risk their reputation? jon I'll be bold... Radishes are a cool weather crop. Therefore, I'd expect the radish planting season in Southern Tennessee to be Feb 15th to April 1st. I'd expect radishes planted outside of that time frame to fail. A fall crop planted during the first two weeks of November might also succeed. (My best crop of radishes for the year is always the one planted within days of the winter snow-cover melting, and it will be snowed on several times before harvest.) Radishes are quite susceptible to over-crowding. So I recommend thinning to 3" between plants immediately after they germinate. |
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greltam
grub
Everything IS a conspiracy :]
Posts: 59
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Post by greltam on Apr 21, 2012 21:13:30 GMT -5
I think their might be some more slack than that Joseph. I got some radishes to bulb in an early June planting last year, where my last frost date is May 15. Might have been a fluke though. I think I'll do staggered plantings all season and see what the outcome is.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Apr 21, 2012 22:19:51 GMT -5
I think their might be some more slack than that Joseph. I got some radishes to bulb in an early June planting last year, where my last frost date is May 15. Might have been a fluke though. I think I'll do staggered plantings all season and see what the outcome is. I love experiments. Let us know how it goes. Average last frost for Selmer TN is April 12th... In my garden, if radishes are planted much after our average last frost date, they become so mustardy (hot) as to be essentially unpalatable to all but the most diehard radish fans. |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Apr 22, 2012 0:20:29 GMT -5
Re: Radish Stir-Fry photo That's gotta be the most disturbing post ever to this forum!!! ¿¿¿Cooked radishes??? Uggh. Now I gotta overcome my cultural biases and inexperience and not only cook a radish, but cook radish greens as well: AND EAT THEM Does cooking lesson the mustardy taste? Or dilute it? Or make it stronger? |
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Post by rowan on Apr 22, 2012 0:47:55 GMT -5
I've never really been a fan of radishes but I just bought some rat-tailed radish seeds to see if they can win me over (Hey, maybe they are the answer to your bulbing problem). They are not grown here but I think some of my more adventurous customers at the market will really go for them.
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Post by richardw on Apr 22, 2012 0:51:37 GMT -5
I'm with greltam,in that i sow a small amounts of Cherrybelle radish seed every week from late winter till mid autumn,and they dont seem to mind the heat of summer.
peppero- have you tried growing Black Spanish radish,its a late season type but dam near idiot proof as a reliable grower.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Apr 22, 2012 1:27:03 GMT -5
My last useful radish harvest occurs when the daily high temperatures remain above 80F (27C) for about a week which is about July 1st in my garden. That would be about May 1st in Selmer Tennessee. Weather data for Christchurch New Zealand indicates average daily highs during summer of around 70F (21C): Ideal radish growing weather if you ask me. I bet broccoli also does fabulous there.
I can't keep enough water on my radishes once the rainy season ends and the humidity plummets (which corresponds with the rise in temperature). It's a double death blow to the radishes in my garden.
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Post by keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.) on Apr 22, 2012 1:39:13 GMT -5
Joseph, I'm not sure if your interested or not, but i will assume you are based on some of your comments. Anyway, two seasons ago we grew some radishes. Radishes usually do fine here if they are given plenty of water and i think they produce the best in spring and fall. Anyway, we planted what i would assume were seeds for normal generic radishes, but several of them were a darker color, almost a purple. We noticed that the purple radishes were sweeter than the normal ones, and i remember liking them because i couldn't taste any of the normal "hotness" often tasted in radishes.
I tried to save some seeds, and i will be trying to grow them out this year. Anyway, you might consider getting seeds for the purple radishes as there is the possibility of finding a variety that lacks the hotness found in other ones. It's just a guess at this point.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Apr 22, 2012 1:51:22 GMT -5
Thanks. There were some purple radishes that went into my landrace last summer. I don't know how many of them survived.
It is my intention this year to taste every radish before allowing it to go to seed and select for milder taste. Also, I'm thinking that I aught to save the radish seed for planting mother-to-row which would allow me to taste the hotness of the radish seeds, and/or sprout seeds for tasting to try to select for milder taste... The down side to such a selection might be that the plants are more susceptible to flea bettles which severely prey on early spring planted radishes in my garden.
I wonder if mild tasting summer radishes are a crop much like luffa in my garden: So far out of it's usual environmental range, that no amount of selection would ever make it possible.
But who knows... Tonight is the first time I ever considered trying to develop a summer radish for my garden. I have always just tilled them under as soon as the weather gets hot and dry.
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