When the National Garden Bureau decided to celebrate 1996 as the Year of the Radish, I was a little skeptical. Although I've grown them since I was a small child, I had never taken the time to fully appreciate this undistinguished vegetable. Its main claim to fame in my youthful gardening exuberance was that you could plant them very early and they grew to harvest size faster than anything else in the garden. Beyond that they held little fascination for me.
Radishes were cultivated in ancient times. The Egyptian pharaohs made them part of the daily diet for the slaves building the pyramids. The Chinese grew them as early as 700 B.C. and introduced them to Japan, where they are the most popular vegetable. They were grown in England in the 1500s and were touted as a remedy for kidney stones, facial blemishes and intestinal worms. Colonists brought seeds across the Atlantic, and radishes have been popular here ever since.The name "radish" comes from the Roman word "radix," one of their words for "root." They belong to the Cruciferae or mustard family and to the genus Raphanus. Species designation varies with the type and the authority classifying the plant. Radishes are annuals or biennials, depending on the variety. Plants are also grouped by size, shape, flavor and crop time.
Besides the familiar red radishes, all shades of pink, rose and scarlet are represented. Add pure white, shading to cream, yellow and shades of green. Round out the color spectrum with lavender to purple and almost to black and few colors of radishes are not represented. Interior flesh is mostly white but may be pink, green or rose tinted.
The shapes are long, round or oval like a top. Their mature size ranges from less than an ounce to more than 79 pounds. The flavors range from mild and sweet to hot and peppery. Growing conditions affect flavor, as more mild flavors develop in those grown with cool, moist conditions.
All varieties require loose, well-drained soil. Those grown in heavy clay mature slowly and have misshapen roots. They also need full sun. Short-season varieties make excellent container vegetables, as they only need 4 to 5 inches of soil to mature.
As a young gardener I learned very quickly not to plant the entire seed package all at once. Even the most ardent radish enthusiast can only eat so many radishes at once. They mature quickly, so make successive sowings every two weeks. Thin the plants so that they are not crowded, and harvest when they reach sufficient size but before they become tough and woody. Long-season varieties can be harvested anytime before a hard frost.