So…I planted champion radishes a good while ago on May 22nd. According to the literature, the radishes should be ready in 28 days or so. Yah. Not. My radishes aren’t, you know, radishing - they’re growing like weeds, lots of leaves, but no radishes, just a thin root. No bulbing, no yummy radish goodness, nada.
We’ve been having good weather, sunny, warmish (mostly upper 70s, little humidity, only a coupla really killer, hot humid days), rain’s been adequate (tho’ I water most days we don’t have rain, aiming to give the whole garden an inch of water a week), soil’s been praised as excellent (tho’ I didn’t fertilize) with good drainage, mulched with cocoa shells, everything seems good, but isn’t. My tomatoes are tomatoing, the jalapenos have flowers, the green onions are doing well, the lettuce is finally thriving, broccoli looks good, but no radishes (just lots of leaves). Well after the time that I should have them.
I have thinned them, twice, in case that was the problem. And the area they’re in is slightly more shaded than the rest - perhaps more sun is what they need?
Try cutting off about half of the leaf and stem structure. It may force the root to bulb out. I’m stumped because radishes are about the easiest things to grow, except maybe dandelions.
My radishes aren’t coming up either! I was getting worried…the beans & everything else are, but no radishes. And it’s been more like 2 months; the packet said 60 days, and it’s been more than that.
I know! Was reading something about having children plant radishes because they’ve got big seeds and grow quickly. Great. Kids can grow these things successfully and I can’t. And I love radishes.
Maybe the soil is too clayey and hard? Radishes like sandy-loamy stuff that they can expand into easily.
It doesn’t sound like it’s been too hot for them. That’ll prevent radish formation too.
Since it’s now too late to try again until fall, why not put in some sand, and grow some beets?
Finagle, I don’t think they’re too close together, but it’s always a possibility. I thinned them after they sprouted, to about 1" to 2" between plants, and about 3"ish between rows. Later, when they didn’t seem to be bulbing, I thinned most of them again ('bout 2 weeks ago now), so now they all should have at least 2" to 3" between plants (there’s only three rows - it’s a really small garden).
I’ve also been told that our soil is excellent. My husband maintained a soil/yard waste/compost pile for the last year, and when I planted, I a) dug up about 4 inches in the garden and replaced that soil with the composted stuff; b) tilled it really well to a depth of 6 inches or so; then c) planted and watered. My parents-in-law were lusting over our soil, and recently a neighbour also commented on how good it was.
I’ve pulled up some, and the thin root that’s there tastes radishy, but no bulb. No yummy radish goodness. Is it too late? Should I try the trimming, and if that doesn’t work, call it all a wash and pull 'em all up?
Damn radishes. Sure, it’s the *easy *things I can’t grow.
Once it gets hot, radishes either don’t make radishes, or make hot, woody radishes.
Despite your location, you may have planted your cool season vegetables too late. From your description of the thinning, that’s not the problem.
(Pardon, I’m a beginner. Bolting = flowers, yes?) No, no bolting, tho’ I’m afraid that’s coming soon. Bah! Perhaps I’ll pull them out anyway.
Planting radishes too late is a distinct possibility. I planted May 22, and round here the traditional planting date is Memorial Day - that’s the day the threat of frost can be considered to be safely past. So I thought I was planting a bit early, and it was coolish, as well. But perhaps it was too late for radishes, especially if they don’t like warm weather (as more research seems to be telling me). Perhaps they need to be much earlier.
Sadly, we had a coolish spring. They say to plant radishes basically as soon as the soil can be worked, but damn! Even my late May planting seemed early - we’d been “warm” for only a coupla weeks.
Other sites tell me that radishes might not bulb because of too much N (which is another possibility), too much shade (which is also possible, but one site said it had to be pretty damn shady for that to happen, and the site of my radishes is more shady than the rest of the garden, but not that shady!), or improper thinning (which I thought I did right as well).
Bother. I’m pessimistic - I don’t think I can save them. But thanks for the tips. Can I plant again, say in September?