SELECTING AND PREPARING A PLANTING SITE

• Plant in a sunny spot. If radishes are planted in too much shade—or even where neighboring vegetable plants shade them—they will put all their energy into producing larger leaves.
• Like carrots, radish plants are primarily grown for their roots. Though the soil needs to be rich in organic matter, it should not be compacted. If your soil is more clay-like, mix in some sand to loosen it and improve drainage.
• If your soil isn’t rich in organic matter, incorporate a few inches of aged compost or all-purpose fertilizer (see packaging for amount) into the planting site as soon as the soil is workable.
• Till your garden bed to remove any rocks or dirt clods before planting.
• Practice three-year crop rotation. In other words, only plant radishes in the same spot every third year. This will help prevent diseases from affecting your crop.

HOW TO PLANT RADISHES

• For a spring planting, sow seeds 4–6 weeks before the average date of last frost. See local frost dates here.
• It’s best to plant radish seeds directly in the garden so as not to disturb their roots. Directly sow seeds outdoors ½ to 1 inch deep and 1 inch apart in rows 12 inches apart.
• Plant another round of seeds every 10 days or so—while weather is still cool—for a continuous harvest of radishes in the late spring and early summer.
• Plan on a fall planting. You can plant radishes later than any other root crop in late summer or early fall and still get a harvest. Sow seeds 4–6 weeks before the first fall frost.