How To Grow Radishes In Pots For A Nutritious Harvest That Takes No Time

You're yearning for a tasty, easy-to-grow vegetable you don't have to wait a long time to harvest, but you have little-to-no garden space. Radishes to the rescue. These spicy, crunchy bulbs are the fast-growing vegetable to plant for an early harvest, and they grow well in pots. In fact, children often learn to grow radishes because they typically require only a month between sowing and harvest. Better yet, their nutritious harvest is rich in vitamin C and fiber.

Choose to grow early or late-season radish varieties, or both, in pots to have fresh harvests in three seasons. You can even grow radishes indoors and enjoy them year-round. The key is to start radishes in spring or late summer or early fall, at least six to eight weeks before you expect the first frost. 

To plant these fast-growing veggies, sow their seeds in 1-gallon pots with a drainage holes; simply scatter the minuscule seeds and lightly cover them with soil. Consider a vegetable starter mix and make sure that the growing medium drains well. To attain the right soil consistency, add some compost to the mix. You might need to thin your seedlings once they germinate, since the tiny seeds may sprout close together. Once the radishes have sprouted, ensuring consistent lighting and watering, keeping the plants from bolting, and harvesting them at the right time will leave you with a healthy, plentiful harvest. 

If you're hoping to achieve a quick harvest, adequate watering and sunlight are critical to your potted radishes' success. Once they sprout, give your plants six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily. Radishes tend to prefer overhead sunlight, which may be difficult to achieve if you place them on a balcony or a porch. The beauty of growing radishes in containers is that you can adjust their location if they don't seem to be thriving in the original lighting conditions. 

Potted radishes have an extra challenge because soil in containers dries out faster than it does in the ground, and you shouldn't let the medium dry out. Inconsistent, fluctuating moisture levels can cause your radishes to crack. Keep them consistently watered with about an inch of water weekly. Water the plants if you don't feel moisture at a depth of 1 inch when you poke your finger into the soil. At the same time, to avoid root rot, don't allow roots to sit in water; the saucer should be allowed to dry after watering. Wind can dry the soil, too, so keep the radishes sheltered if the pots are in a windy spot. Fertilizer is optional for radishes. If you choose to use it, select a balanced fertilizer intended for vegetables and follow the instructions on the label.

Chief among the hiccups you may encounter when growing potted radishes is premature bolting to seed, especially in hot weather. Once radishes bolt, the roots lose their distinct flavor. Fortunately, that's an issue you can address by growing your radishes before the arrival of hot summer weather, or once cooler temperatures return in the fall. Ensuring that these cool-season vegetables have consistently moist growing medium may also keep them from bolting as they mature. If radishes do bolt, enjoy their edible pods and flowers.

Don't wait too long to harvest the radishes, as they get spicier and develop a woody, fibrous texture if they remain in the ground too long. You can harvest most radishes three to five weeks after germination but check seed packets you've used to find out the expected time to maturity. You'll also know they're ready to be picked if the roots are about 1 inch in diameter. Pull gently at the top of the root to harvest.