How Long to Grow Radishes?

Spring Radishes

The traditional round, red radish is also known as a spring radish. Varieties such as the Cherry Belle, Sparkler, Easter Egg and Cherry Bomb flourish in the chilly, wet weather that often accompanies early spring. These rapid growers are fully mature and ready to harvest just 22 to 25 days after sowing their seeds.

Summer radishes, such as French Breakfast and White Icicle, are long and slender. The tapered roots tend to be red at the top and white at the tip. These crunchy, mild-flavored vegetables are more heat tolerant than many spring-type radishes, but they do not take any longer to develop and can be pulled from the garden in 23 to 25 days.

Daikon radishes, or winter radishes, are relatively slow growing and sweet. The long, white roots are popular in Asian and German cooking and make an ideal addition to soups, stews and salads. Plant winter radishes in the summer, rather than the spring, about two months before the average date of the first frost. This allows adequate time for varieties such as the China Rose, Spring Leader and Summer Cross to develop. On average, winter radishes take 50 to 60 days to reach maturity.

When properly cultivated, radishes are crisp, crunchy and lightly flavored, but radishes that are left in the ground too long, or those that are exposed to harsh climatic conditions such as extreme heat or drought, can develop a strong, pungent flavor or pithy, woody texture. To avoid this unfortunate development, do not plant radishes during the hottest part of summer, keep the soil at the planting site evenly moist and harvest the radishes while they are young, rather than allowing them to remain in the soil in hopes of increasing their size.