All you need to know to grow radishes

Radishes come in many sizes and pretty colors

Sunday, March 23, 2025

Radishes are some of the easiest and fastest to grow veggie in the garden!  They can be grown in the garden bed or a pot.  Radishes are quick to sprout and ready to eat in just 3-4 weeks.  They add fun color and a bit of a "bite"to salads or on their own.  Radishes also come in a range of flavors.  Some are quite mild while others are quite peppery.  

Radishes originated in China and moved west, being domesticated in Europe in pre-Roman times.  It came in many different forms and colors.  There was the long rooted form that could get as big around as 6” or so and a round form that is most popular today.  Most were generally white, but there was also black.  

The short topped, red radish we know today was developed in the 1600’s.  They reached the American colonies in the late 1700’s.  The long rooted variety was the most popular until the 1900’s. 

Radishes provide anti-oxidants, phytochemicals, lutein, beta carotene, the vitamins B6, C and riboflavin as well as the minerals calcium, copper, iron, and magnesium.  They are rich in ascorbic acid, folic acid and potassium.

Radishes can be peppery or mild and come in many colors and sizes.  Our favorite is the mild white variety with a root similar to a small carrot, White Icicle.

Radishes enjoy the same type of soil as carrots-loose, well dug rich in organic matter.  The ideal soil would be dug 4-6” deep (if growing the round variety) and mixed with sand and compost.  If interplanting with carrots or growing the long rooted type, a deeper digging is needed 6-9”. 

Many recommend mixing radish seeds, carrot seeds and sand together and sowing the seed this way since the carrot and radish seeds are so small.  Grow crunchy, colorful carrots practically year round  The radishes sprout very quickly and are ready to harvest well before the carrots. Radishes can be sown with beets and turnips as well. You get two crops in one this way.  All about beautiful beets  All about turnips

Radishes are also planted as a “trap crop” for flea beetles.  The flea beetles will be attracted to the radishes and leave other crops alone.  The flea beetles may make the radish greens look sad, but have no affect on the root itself.

Like carrots, radishes can be sown in the spring or fall. The seeds germinate quickly, just in 3-5 days. For spring, radishes can be sown as early as 3-4 weeks prior to last frost (when the early daffodils bloom) and first pickings will be ready in 3-4 weeks.  Harvest in the morning.  Both the roots and leaves are edible.

Radishes should be planted 1/2” deep, in rows 1-2’ apart.  They should be thinned to 2-6” apart, depending on the size of radish planted. 

For winter harvesting, sow in late summer or fall.  Roots are sweetest after a frost.  You can still eat the roots when the greenery has died back.  Just dig down with your trowel to release the sweet root from the ground.  Mulch in the fall and harvest when needed.

We found the White Icicle variety to be mild and enjoyed them in salads.  The red varieties typically are hotter.  The radishes will increase in heat as the temperatures rise.  Pick early for milder taste or later in the day for more of a kick.

Choose the round varieties if you have hard soil and do not want to dig deeply or if you want to grow in pots.  Radishes are equally happy in the garden bed or pots.  They are a really fun crop for kids, too, and come in so many colors.  A really pretty addition to any salad.

Everything you need to know to grow carrots

Carrots come in all different colors and sizes

Saturday, March 22, 2025

Carrots are rich in antioxidants, beta-carotenes, vitamin A, vitamin C, many B-complex vitamins like folic acid, B6, thiamin, pantothenic acid, as well as minerals like calcium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, copper.  They are super easy to grow.

Carrots, like turnips, have been around for thousands of years.  Its seeds were used for medicinal purposes.  Carrots likely originated in the Iran/Afghanistan area and spread to the Mediterranean.  It is shown in Egyptian tomb paintings from 2000 BC. The first records that it was used for the European kitchen was in the 900‘s in Spain.  Carrots were originally used mainly for livestock feed in the American colonies and for its aromatic leaves and seeds.

The first wild carrots were purple.  The wild carrot is known as Queen Anne’s lace and adapted very well in America.  The popular culinary orange colored variety did not become stable until the 1700’s.  It quickly became the most popular variety in both Europe and the colonies.  Today, you can buy carrot seed for a variety of colors-yellow, white, red, purple, orange.  They also have a wide range of sizes.  They can grow quite long or can even be round.  

If you let your carrots go to seed, they send up stalks and have flowers that look just like Queen Anne's lace white, lacy blooms.  Carrots are prolific self seeders.  If you let one or two carrots go to seed, you will have baby carrots over winter that will come to full size in the spring.

Carrots getting ready to bloom

Carrots are related to parsley, fennel, dill and cumin.  Like their cousins, the greenery also is edible.

Carrots like loose, well dug soil rich in organic matter although they will also grow in moderately rich soil.  The ideal soil would be dug 6-10” deep and mixed with sand and compost.  The longer the root, the deeper the depth of loose soil needed to grow large, straight roots.

There are also shorter root varieties that can be sown if you do not want to dig that deeply or if you want to grow them in pots.  Some short varieties are Little Finger (4” long), Adelaide (the size of your pinky), Short n Sweet (4”), Thumbelina (1-1.5” diameter), Parmex (1.2-2” diameter), Tonda di Parigi (1.5-2” diameter).

Sow every 2 weeks March-July.  First plantings should be about 2 weeks prior to your last frost.  Carrots do not like to be transplanted so direct sowing is best.  Soak seeds 6 hours before sowing.  Sow 1/4” deep, 1/2” apart thinning to 2-4”.  Keep evenly moist, do not allow to dry out, for the up to 14 day germination period.  Carrots are ready to harvest in 50-80 days.  Baby carrots can be harvested in 30-40 days.

For your last plantings of the season look for a type like Autumn King or Nantes that can be harvested throughout the winter.  Merida can be planted in late September for an early spring harvest.  Frost actually makes the carrots sweeter so leaving them in the ground in the fall will improve their flavor.  All kinds of colors are now available-white, red, orange, yellow, and purple.

If you want to bring the harvested carrots indoors to store, placing in a cool place in sand that is kept moist is the best indoor long term storage for the winter.

What's happening in the mid March edible garden

Chives

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Spring in our garden has come later this year.  We had a two week frigid spell with ice and snow in mid-February that slowed everything down.  Took a couple of weeks for the ground to thaw.  We are about 4 weeks behind the past 2 springs.  Daffodils, forsythias, crocus and hellebores are in full bloom now.  The Bradford Pear trees are just starting to flower.  

When forsythias bloom, it is time to apply corn gluten for weed suppression in the garden and yard.  Corn gluten keeps seeds from sprouting and provides nitrogen.  It will also keep grass seed or garden seed from sprouting so use only where you don't want seeds to come up.

In the edible garden, onions, parsley, horseradish, carrots, garlic, chives, salad burnet, French sorrel, oregano, dandelions, strawberries, thyme and garlic chives are popping up in the garden bed.  Overwintering celery, chard, lettuce, arugula, winter cress, blood veined sorrel, salad burnet, sprouting broccoli, shallots, onions and Chinese cabbage are growing again.  Chickweed is flowering.  The garden is giving greens for fresh picked salads.

Asparagus is usually up by now but it has yet to show itself.  

Cool season crop transplants are at the local nurseries and big box stores.  They have broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, onion sets, spinach, chard, lettuce, potato starts and more.  It's time to buy what you want for your spring garden and transplant!  

Overwintering cabbage and broccoli

I bought lettuce and spinach to supplement what overwintered.  I also plant snow peas, onion sets, onion seedlings and will plant carrot seeds to keep the salad greens going through June.

Herbs have not yet arrived at the big box stores; they should soon.  The ones that can be planted now are thyme, sage, garlic, parsley, and celery.  I'd hold off on the rosemary and especially the basil.  If it gets even close to freezing, basil can be killed in the garden.  You can buy and keep in a sunny window in the garage and they should be fine.

Warm season crops like tomatoes, peppers and eggplant all need warm days and warm soil to thrive.  A freeze can kill them.   Plants should be arriving in stores by early April.  I usually wait until May to plant these summer lovers.  I started mine from seed a month or so ago and have transplanted them into pots that I'll keep under lights, in a sunny window or on the patio on warm days to give them a boost for summer harvests.  

What to plant in the March edible garden

March garden bed, ready for planting

Saturday, March 15, 2025

March and April are prime time for cold season crops like greens, cabbage, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, beets, radishes and cauliflower.  In March, you can direct sow (plant seeds in an outdoor pot or your garden bed), start seeds indoors or transplant plants that you have bought locally or raised indoors.

Big box stores have had their seeds on display for over a month now.  In our area, plants began arriving in stores last weekend or you can order transplants online.  The variety available in big box stores continues to expand as many us are growing our own food.  If you are wanting something unique, try on line seed companies. Some of my favorites with a good selection of organic vegetables, garden fruits, and herbs-Abundant Life Seeds, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, High Mowing Seeds, Johnny's Selected Seeds, Renee's Garden, Seeds of Change, Territorial Seed Company, Seeds from Italy, Botanical Interest.  Many have plants as well as seeds.  

If you are not sure what to plant, here are some ideas on figuring that out.  How to know what to grow

Using indoor seed starting is a great way to accelerate your harvest by up to two months.  Seed packets tell you how far in advance of your last frost date to start your seeds indoors or when to plant outdoors for "direct sowing" in the garden.  Just look on the back. Here is a web page to look up your last frost date: Farmers Almanac frost dates

Cold season crops include your greens, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, radishes, turnips, beets, cauliflower, strawberries and peas.  For more on spring gardens, see  A spring edible garden   Starting these varieties in a portable greenhouse will give you a jump on harvest time.  I like starting seeds in my portable greenhouse and once they get to a good, sturdy size, thinning and transplanting out to the garden bed.  I have sowed many varieties last month and this month outdoors.  Dragon's Tail radish, sweet mustards, kale and chards sowed indoors have sprouted so far.  It is warm enough here to start cool season crops outdoors.  I started onion sets and snow peas outdoors this last week.  Will start carrots this week.  

March and April is also the time for warm season veggie and herbs to get their indoor start.  Summer veggies include beans, tomatoes, corn, melons, basil, eggplant, peppers, okra and squash.  Summer veggies go into the garden after chance of frost has passed and the soil has warmed.  In our area, it is the first of May for the soil to warm.  You don't really get an advantage in planting the summer veggies early outdoors because they don't grow until the ground warms up.  I just imagine them sitting in the dirt with their roots and stems shivering.  See this blog on summer veggies for more info.  A summer edible garden

Seeds to start in garden bed or transplant outdoors for our Zone 7a garden

Arugula
Asparagus

Beets

Broccoli

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Catnip

Celeriac

Celery

Chard

Chervil

Chives

Cilantro

Collards

Corn salad

Endive 

Escarole

Fennel

Fenu

Horseradish

Kale

Kohlrabi

Leek

Lettuce

Mache

Mint

Mizuna

Mustard

Onions

Pak choi

Parsley

Parsnips

Peas

Potatoes

Raddichio

Radishes

Rhubarb

Salsify

Scallions

Shallots

Sorrel

Spinach

Strawberries

Summer savory

Turnips

Start seeds indoors

Artichokes and cardoons

Basil
Bay

Bee balm

Cauliflower

Chamomile

Comfrey

Dill

Eggplant
Edamame

Fennel

Kohlrabi

Lavender

Lemon verbena

Lovage

Marjoram

Okra

Oregano

Peppers

Rosemary

Sage

Tarragon

Tomatoes

Thyme

Seedlings started in an Aerogarden hydroponic system

You can find more crops seed starting times in this blog  Indoor sowing/outdoor planting dates

Another trick is to do succession seed starting.  For continuous harvests of veggies like broccoli, spinach and lettuce, start new seedlings every 3 weeks and plant out every three weeks in the garden.  Keep the harvest going, do succession planting  For the early seedlings, use varieties that are described as cold hardy.  When you get to April, start seedlings that are heat tolerant.  Heat tolerant varieties will resist bolting and bitterness as summer temperatures rise.  Keep salads going all summer long

You can also start perennial flowers and veggies indoors as well.  For any plant, look at the seed packet for when to plant outdoors according to your frost date.  Then back up the time from there on when to start indoors.  Typical seed starting is 6-8 weeks prior to the plant out date.  For more on perennial fruits and veggie gardens, Perennial veggies in the Midwest garden

For tips on seed starting: 

Indoor seed starting tips

Ideal soil temperatures for starting your seeds

Make your own peat pots

How much to plant?

Trying to decide what to plant for this year's garden?  Here are some garden ideas:

Easy kitchen garden

A French vegetable garden you can grow in a small ...

Start a kitchen herb garden!

Pizza garden for the kids

Heirloom Sicilian kitchen garden

Mediterranean diet garden

Colonial Vegetable Garden

Veggies for small spaces

Fruit for small spaces

The First Victory Gardens

Don't be worried about the work of putting in an edible garden bed.  You can simply grow veggies in your existing mulched beds right along with your flowers in the ground or pots!  Weed free, self fertilizing, till free garden beds

Time to plant onions outdoors

Bulbing onion flowering in late spring

Sunday, March 9, 2025

It is time to plant onion sets and onion transplants in the garden to get full size bulbs for harvesting this summer. 

You can order sets on-line, get them in big box stores, local nurseries, local farm supply stores and local hardware stores at this time of year.  Your local stores should have the type of onions that will bulb properly for your latitude.  Onions set bulbs based on the hours of daylight.

If ordering on-line, know what daylight zone you are in to get the ones that will develop into full bulbs for your zone.  They start forming bulbs when daylight hours hit a minimum. For long day onions, it is 14 hours. For intermediate, it is 12-13 hours. Short day onions are 9-10 hours.  You also need to get them planted this month to insure optimal size for harvesting.

 I would have thought that long day onions would be for the South, but this is wrong.  The North gets the really long summer days (think of Alaska in June with no darkness).  Long day onions should be planted in states north of the Oklahoma/Kansas border (approximately 36 degrees latitude).  Intermediate day onions are planted in the middle of the US and short day onions in the South (like Vidalias).

I live in Kentucky so right in the heart of intermediate day onions.  I can plant long day onions, but should have gotten them in the ground as soon as the soil could be worked last month so that get a good root system for making large bulbs when peak daylight occurs in late June.

This year, I bought sets from a big box store and started seeds of interesting intermediate types.  For sets, the bulbs need to be firm to still be viable.  I planted my sweet onion sets yesterday and will plant my seedlings in a couple of days.  I have the seedlings hardening off on the back patio to get used to the cooler temperatures and increasing time in unfiltered sunlight.

If ordering sets or plants on-line, they will send them to you when it is time to plant in your area.

For planting, onions like loose, rich soil.  I dug a trench 2" deep, put blood meal in the bottom, added an inch of soil, then planted my sets 3-4" apart in rows 1 foot apart.

I planted potato onions and Egyptian walking onions last fall to give them the winter to develop good root systems for harvesting this spring and summer.

For more on onions, see 

Onions-everything you need to know to grow 'em

What seeds to start indoors now (4 weeks before last frost)

Starting seeds in peat pods and Aerogarden

Saturday, March 8, 2025

For indoor seed starting, it is time to start the ones that love the hot weather.  You can also continue to succession sow lettuce for continuous harvest into summer.  

For our zone 7 garden, here are the ones you can sow indoors now: 

Herbs 

*Basil

*Cilantro

*Culantro

*Dill

*Feverfew

*Navajo Tea

*Butterfly Form Papalo (tastes like cilantro but loves hot weather)

*Red Shiso

Veggies/Fruits

*Amaranth

*Artichoke

*Arugula

*Basil

*Bok Choy

*Broccoli Raab

*Chinese Cabbage

*Cucumber

*Cultivated Dandelions

*Fennel

*Huckleberry

*Lambsquarter

*Leeks

*Lettuce

*Melons

*Mustard

*Okra

*Orach

*Peppers

*Pumpkins

*Radicchio

*Red Malabar Spinach

*Sorrel

*Soybean

*Summer and Winter Squash

*Tomatoes

*Watermelons

Flowers and Ornamentals

*Amaranthus

*Aster

*Blue Fescue

*Cosmos

*Fountain Grass

*Hummingbird Vine

*Hyacinth Bean

*Love in a Mist

*Luffa

*Lupine

*Marigold

*Morning Glory

*Nasturtium

*Platinum Blue

*California and Corn Poppies

*Zinnias

Few of the veggies and herbs listed are cool season producers.  For more on cool season gardening, see A spring edible garden. At this point, we are adding more of the staples of the summer garden like tomatoes, basil, melons and squash.  For more on summer gardening, see  All about the summer edible garden 

For indoor seed starting how-to and tips:  Indoor seed starting how to and tips

For making your own seed starting pots:  Make your own peat pots 

If you are transplanting seedlings from indoors to outdoors, be sure to harden them to the conditions they will be transplanted to.  If in a greenhouse, cold frame or hot bed, you can take outdoors when temperatures are warm or maybe an unheated garage if the temps are close to the covered location you will be placing them.  "Hardening off" seedlings 

Next week looks good for moving transplants of cool season crops outdoors, after hardening off, of course.

March 2025 Edible Garden Planner

March garden with lettuce and spinach

Sunday, March 2, 2025

Spring is about 3 weeks behind last year.  We've just started having normal temperatures.  Daffodils and crocus only have buds on them.  Daylilies and iris flowers greenery is barely breaking ground.  

If you have not already, it is time to test your soil, get your garden beds ready for planting, finalize the plan for your spring garden and get planting! 

Soil Testing and Bed Preparation

Now is the time to clean up your beds and determine what your soil needs to feed and support your plants through the coming growing seasons.  Remove all the dead plant material still left from last season.  If you had any disease problem, do not compost.  I always leave anything with seed heads through the winter for the birds to eat then remove what remains this time of year.  

You can take a soil sample to your local county co-op extension office to have it tested or buy a do it yourself kit at any big box store or local nursery.  You can do a more extensive soil test by sending your soil sample off.  Here is a link to my blog on soil nutrition:  The next step in garden production and your nutrit...  Well-fed plants grow better and are more nutritious for you, too.  A win-win.

If you don’t want to go to the trouble of testing, a sure way to enrich your soil is to use a balanced organic fertilizer and compost.  I add organic material every spring with fertilizer and any amendments needed, a layer of compost, then top with hardwood mulch in the garden beds, building the soil’s fertility and its ability to hold water.  This is also when I use amendments to adjust pH if needed.  The soil test I did in the fall of 2023 showed my soil had a pH of 7.8 which is more alkaline than herbs and vegetables do well at so I added sulfur last spring to bring it down.  I just took another soil test this week to see if I need to add any more sulfur.  Optimal range is 6.5-7.0, so slightly acidic.

A local CSA farmer and organic gardener told me years ago that it is important to not let your fertilizer just lay on top of the ground as many of the nutrients will be lost, especially nitrogen.  My spring routine to build the soil is always to put down an organic fertilizer like Espoma or ReVita Pro, then a layer of compost and top with mulch.  Nitrogen oxidizes easily with the air so be sure to cover your fertilizer with soil, compost or mulch every time you fertilize.  You can make your own balanced fertilizer, too, which is pretty inexpensive  Make your own all natural, complete fertilizer

If this is your first time gardening, it is super easy to buy plants and put in pots or plant in your established flower beds with your flowers.  I do 100% of my edible gardening in pots and my flower beds.    Easy kitchen garden  How to know what to grow  Surprising veggies that can be grown in pots  If you are really nervous, the easiest garden to start with are herbs.  They love to be neglected!  Just plant them and watch them grow.  My first edible garden was herbs.  Most herbs are perennials so you plant them once and they come back every year.  Start a kitchen herb garden!

Finalize your garden plan

Before your start planting, take pen to paper and finalize your spring garden plan.  Every fall, I capture what went well for the growing season, what I want to learn more about over the winter, and a plan for the coming season.  You will forget if you don't write it down!  A garden journal is a great tool for gardening.

Keep a garden diary 

Reflections on the 2024 edible garden and the 2025 plan 

How to develop an edible garden plan

My 2025 Edible Garden Plan 

The big box stores have out their seed and plant racks so they should have transplants soon.  In our area, they seem to arrive in mid-March.  Seeds are already stocked every place I've been.  Transplants are a good and easy way to look for what will grow well in your area.  The types that like cold weather that will be out soon are cabbage, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, leeks, onion sets, potato sets, blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry bare root plants, along with potted fruit trees.  Spring edible garden

Mid March garden

The greens I will plant in our mini greenhouse to keep them warmer and encourage growth so we get fresh salads as soon as possible.  They will do just fine in the garden bed too.  I just love spring salads!

Some varieties I enjoy growing in the spring garden:  

Oakleaf Lettuce-ready to harvest in 45 days  Everything you need to know about growing lettuce

Wild Garden Kales-ready to harvest in 30 days Grow one of the super greens this year-kale

Mesclun Valentine Lettuce mix (red tinted lettuce and greens)-ready to harvest in 30-55 days

Marvel of Four Seasons Butterhead Lettuce (I love the sweet taste of butterheads)-ready to harvest in 55 days Everything you need to know about growing lettuce
Red Sails Lettuce (a ruffled red and green, stays sweet even after bolting)-ready to harvest in 45 days

Space Hybrid Spinach-ready to harvest in 38 days  Grow spinach-a super nutritious, easy green

Gourmet Blend Lettuce (Prizeleaf, Royal Oak Leaf, Salad Bowl, Ashley)-ready to harvest in 45 days

Sugar snap peas-ready to harvest in 70 days Time to plant peas!

All kinds of broccoli or cauliflower-ready to harvest in 50-80 days (leaves are great in salads) Broccoli and cauliflower growing tips

Cabbage-ready to harvest in 68 days.  Cabbage is nutritious and easy to grow

Carrots-ready to harvest in 50-75 days  Grow crunchy, colorful carrots practically year round

Parsley-70 days to harvest  

Potatoes-ready to begin harvest in 70 days  Time to plant potatoes, even if you only have a patio

The above can be companion planted with radishes, beets, chives, garlic, and onions.  Since they are shallow rooted, they grow well with root crops.  Get the most from your space-plant intensively!

When I plant, I plant with a handful of worm compost and char and water in with fish emulsion.  If planting seeds, germination should take anywhere from 4-15 days, depending on how warm the soil is.  I am out in the garden looking for little green shoots daily!  Decorative container gardening for edibles

Important tip-if planting seeds in a mulched bed, be sure to cover the seed with only soil; most seedlings are too weak to push through mulch.  Mulching your beds keeps the weeds from sprouting, too.  Weed free, self fertilizing, till free garden beds 

Potato box

Zone 6/7 Spring Garden Roadmap

Planting seedlings outdoors:

Now (or as soon as the soil can be worked)-fruit trees and vines, nut trees, asparagus, garlic, leeks, onions, peas

Mid-March-cabbage, kale, lettuce, mustards, spinach

Beginning of April-broccoli, cauliflower, cilantro, more lettuce, lemon balm, parsley

Mid-April-corn, marigolds, rosemary, sage, thyme

First of May-basil, chives, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes

Mid-May-cantaloupe, eggplant, okra, squash, watermelon

Starting your seeds outdoors**:

Now (or as soon as the soil can be worked): peas, spinach, lettuce, radish, mustards

Mid-March: all the above plus arugula, bok choy, cabbage, carrot, collards, leeks, mache, onion. rhubarb, cultivated dandelions

End March:  all the above plus fava beans, beets, broccoli, carrot, Chinese cabbage, cress, kale, kohlrabi, leek, mizuna, parsley, parsnip, early potatoes, turnip

**One watch out is planting seeds too soon.  Seeds have to have a certain soil temperature to sprout.  Plant too soon and the seed will rot and not sprout.  Here are some soil temp guidelines.  Temps to plant seeds outdoors  Be sure to harden off your seedlings before planting outdoors if started inside  "Hardening off" seedlings

Starting your seeds indoors for summer planting:

Now-lemon balm, parsley, sage, thyme, lettuce, cress, chard, basil, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, okra, marigolds, eggplant

End of March-cantaloupe, cucumber, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes

A summer edible garden

January is indoor seed starting time! Here is a seed starting calendar........

Indoor seed starting tips

These dates are just guidelines.  You can start your seedlings later and plant your transplants later as well.  Be sure to read the seed packet for what you are starting.  They make all kinds of varieties that are cold hardy and can be planted sooner than what I outlined above.  If you get a cold snap, there are things you can do to protect your early crops.  Extend the season with protection for plants

I bought a pop up walk in greenhouse a couple of years ago so I may put them out in the greenhouse when they get their first set of true leaves to get a jump on spring planting. 

Happy gardening!