# Gardeners, stupid question: How do I know when my radishes are ready? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 14, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-stupid-question-how-do-i-know-when-my-radishes-are-ready/308228 "2005-06-14T15:54:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-stupid-question-how-do-i-know-when-my-radishes-are-ready/308228/1 "2005-06-14T15:54:53Z")
Exactly what the question says. I mean, they’re under the soil. Someone said to pull one up, and I did, but it broke. ☹ The packet says “60 days” and it’s been 49, but my beans - planted on the same day - are beginning to make, well, _beans_. So I’m guessing the radishes, too. How do I check them? ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-stupid-question-how-do-i-know-when-my-radishes-are-ready/308228/2 "2005-06-14T16:19:54Z")
Uh, dig one out? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-stupid-question-how-do-i-know-when-my-radishes-are-ready/308228/3 "2005-06-14T16:22:25Z")
I was going to suggest sonar. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-stupid-question-how-do-i-know-when-my-radishes-are-ready/308228/4 "2005-06-14T16:29:52Z")
One of the dumber things I’ve done was to plant the entire package at once. :smack: I think you can see the very top of the root. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-stupid-question-how-do-i-know-when-my-radishes-are-ready/308228/5 "2005-06-14T16:47:41Z")
Dig down a little right next to a radish so you can check the size. A 1" ball should be a good harvesting size. If it’s not big enough yet, replace the soil. Mine always poked up above the soil level a little so it was easy to tell. And boy, if you leave those little buggers in the ground a few days too long, they go from 1" to 2" and bolted overnight! ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-stupid-question-how-do-i-know-when-my-radishes-are-ready/308228/6 "2005-06-14T18:49:27Z")
When the gophers 😛 begin eating them? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-stupid-question-how-do-i-know-when-my-radishes-are-ready/308228/7 "2005-06-14T18:56:41Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > When the gophers 😛 begin eating them? _snerk_ They’re in my balcony. If the gophers get up here - in Upstate NY, no less - I’m lettin’ them have the radishes. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-stupid-question-how-do-i-know-when-my-radishes-are-ready/308228/8 "2005-06-14T22:06:09Z")
Anybody got some good recipes for radishes? ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-stupid-question-how-do-i-know-when-my-radishes-are-ready/308228/9 "2005-06-14T22:11:42Z")
Our radishes are finished already – we didn’t keep planting, darn it. Not sure about recipes. I’ve eaten them plain, or sliced thinly with bread and butter, and in salads, but that’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-stupid-question-how-do-i-know-when-my-radishes-are-ready/308228/10 "2005-06-14T22:23:36Z")
I pick alternate radishes a little on the immature side, making more room for their neighbors. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-stupid-question-how-do-i-know-when-my-radishes-are-ready/308228/11 "2005-06-14T22:28:23Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Anybody got some good recipes for radishes? Wash and trim them, and carve out a divot in the top of each one. Stuff the divot with sweet butter (it’ll be difficult to get the butter to stick onto the wet radish flesh, but persevere), and serve them sprinkled with kosher salt or fleur de sel. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-stupid-question-how-do-i-know-when-my-radishes-are-ready/308228/12 "2005-06-14T22:48:23Z")
I can’t find the recipe, but it had breaded chicken pieces (like sweet and sour) with a sauce made of oil, vinegar and soy sauce. Garnish with sliced radishes, chopped green onions and sesame seeds. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-stupid-question-how-do-i-know-when-my-radishes-are-ready/308228/13 "2005-06-15T01:41:49Z")
What makes some radishes get big and round, yet others never grow much roots, and end up blooming and making seedpods? That’s what happened to me- about 1/2 of my radishes were normal, and the other half never managed to grow much in the way of roots, and instead bloomed and have now grown seedpods. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-stupid-question-how-do-i-know-when-my-radishes-are-ready/308228/14 "2005-06-15T03:06:02Z")
> [@bump](#): > > What makes some radishes get big and round, yet others never grow much roots, and end up blooming and making seedpods? > > That’s what happened to me- about 1/2 of my radishes were normal, and the other half never managed to grow much in the way of roots, and instead bloomed and have now grown seedpods. Perhaps the plants were too crowded? I’ve noticed that when I don’t thin the young plants, the radish end never matures on a large number of them. As for recipes, there’s one way to eat a radish. Sliced on white bread with lots of butter and a smidge of salt. YUM! Sounds a lot like **teela brown’s** suggestion with the addition of the excess carbs and empty calories in the white bread. 🙂