One common complaint about vegetable gardening is it takes so long for the end product to be ready for harvest. In most cases the average is 90 days, but some can extend out to 180 or more.
Another is the seasonal limitations of plants. The range of acceptable temperatures is relatively narrow for most, but there is a notable exception in panhandle Florida.
One garden standard can be grown throughout the year, depending on the cultivar, and produce a healthy vegetable option for a variety of tastes. Radishes are a short season crop with a selection of cultivars to please almost every palate.
Raphanus sativus, the scientific name for radishes, is a member of the Brassicaceae plant family. This grouping of annual plants includes other commonly consumed vegetables including cabbage and mustard.
The inexpensive seeds and the ease of growing, along with a popular taste, make the radish a common sight in north Florida vegetable gardens all year round. The small size of its seeds makes it difficult to plant them individually without specialized tools or lots of time. Thinning is necessary when scattering seeds by hand.
This diminutive root producing vegetable has a legacy reaching into the period before people began writing about food. Though uncertain, it is believed radishes were first used as a menu option in southeast Asia because wild radishes still grow there today.
China, India and some central Asian locales were where the radish made its next appearance 2300 years ago. Each region refined the root to meet local taste preferences and developed specific recipe uses.
The handy and easy to store vegetable made its way to Greece and Rome about 2300 years ago, likely through trade and conquest. Several varieties were noted by contemporary authors who commented on the taste, size and color of the vegetable.
Radishes eventually made their way to North America with the waves of immigrants. Today it remains a popular component for salads and other dishes.
This vegetable is popular with students and beginning gardeners because of its short growing season. Positive results can be pulled from the garden in 45 to 60 days.
The inexpensive seeds are easy to sow by scattering in the plant bed, and then thinly covering with soil. These plants require full sun and grow best in soils with a pH of 6.5 to 7.0.
The seeds germinate in three to four days when they are kept moist, but not excessively wet. The crop will grow in heavily organic media such as mushroom compost, but light sandy soils will work too.
Radishes are categorized into four main types, summer, fall, winter, and spring. An assortment of shapes, lengths, colors, and sizes are associated with this vegetable.
After harvest, separate the greens from the bulbs. Both the bulbs and the radish greens can be used in salads and other dishes.
The greens are used sparingly as they do have the radish flavor and may overshadow the flavor of other salad greens.
Plant diseases are not normally a problem when growing radishes, but insects can be during certain parts of the year. Both the roots and foliage may come under attack.
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