1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016

RADISH | TIME TO PLANT
Radish
Raphanus sativus
Another salad star that adds peppery flavour
and crunch to your meals
Shutterstock
Words Melissa King
Radishes are fast and easy to grow
with colourful roots and a crisp, firm
texture that brings crunch and a
peppery zing to fresh salads and
side dishes.
Research different radish varieties and
you’ll be surprised by the sheer range you
can grow. If you’re after a standard, round,
red radish with crisp, white flesh, ‘Early
Scarlet Globe’ is a pretty, fast-growing
choice. Or for something extra bright in
the salad bowl, try ‘Champion’, with cherrycoloured
skin and a mild flavour. For an
extra big crop of radishes, try ‘Giant of Sicily’
with large red globes that can be harvested
45–55 days after sowing.
Then there are decorative varieties like
‘French Breakfast’, which dates back to
the 1890s and produces pretty oblong,
rose-coloured radishes with white tips,
which make an attractive side dish. Radish
‘Watermelon’ is another appealing variety,
aptly named for its white skin and brightpink
flesh, or you might like to try ‘Hailstone’
with crisp snow-white globes.
Radish ‘Black Spanish Long’ is said to
have come to Australia with the First Fleet.
The long cylindrical root has beautiful dark
skin, contrasting white flesh and a pungent
flavour. There’s also a round variety, not
surprisingly called ‘Black Spanish Round’,
with a spicy, almost nutty flavour. The flesh
is lovely sliced fresh, grated in salads or
pickled. If you’re not sure which one to grow,
get your hands on an heirloom mix of seeds
with radishes in a rainbow of colours.
Growing conditions: Radishes are hardy
annuals that enjoy full sun and rich, welldrained
soil. Seeds can be direct-sown
every season into soil that has been
enriched with compost and organic matter.
Thin the young seedlings to 2.5–5cm apart
and keep well watered.
Growing tip: Sow a small crop every two
to three weeks for a succession of fresh,
crisp radishes.
Harvest: Radishes are quick to harvest, with
some varieties ready to pull just 25 days
from sowing. They are generally eaten raw
in salads, so harvest the roots when they are
young and tender.
Radishes are quick
to harvest, with some
varieties ready to pull
just 25 days from sowing.
They are generally eaten
raw in salads.
‘French Breakfast’
Radish label
Common name: Radish
Botanical name: Raphanus sativus
Family: Brassicaceae
Aspect & soil: Full sun;
rich, well-drained soil
Best climate: All
Habit: Annual
Propagation: Seed, seedling
Difficulty: Easy
Good Organic Gardening | 39