Radish

1. 1

   Sow direct

   March to September outdoors; successional sowings every 2–3 weeks for continuous picking. 1 cm deep, sow thinly along a drill, cover lightly. Earliest sowings (March) under cloches in cold gardens.

2. 2

   Thin to 3 cm

   When seedlings have 2 true leaves, thin to 3 cm apart. Don't crowd them — overcrowded radishes go all leaf and no root. Eat the thinnings (whole young plants are edible).

3. 3

   Water regularly

   Radishes go woody, hot, and split if they dry out. Water lightly every 2–3 days through the growing window; mulch with grass clippings to hold moisture.

4. 4

   Watch for flea beetle on hot dry days

   Tiny black beetles pock-mark young leaves with shot-holes. Mostly cosmetic — radishes outgrow the damage in days. For severe pressure, cover with fleece for the first 2 weeks or yellow sticky traps.

5. 5

   Pull young

   Pull when roots are 1.5–2.5 cm across (the size of a 10p coin to a 50p). Beyond that they get coarse, hot, and start to split. Check the row every couple of days during the peak picking window — radishes go from perfect to past-it in a week.

6. 6

   Sow successionally for continuous supply

   The window from perfect to woody is 2–3 weeks at most. A single sowing gives a glut and a famine. Sow a short row every 2–3 weeks from March to August for continuous fresh radishes.

7. 7

   Avoid mid-summer sowings

   In hot weather (June–July), radishes bolt almost immediately and go hot and woody. Either skip mid-summer or choose heat-tolerant cultivars (Rudi, Mantanghong) and provide afternoon shade.

Flea beetle can riddle leaves with tiny holes; quick growing so often harvested first.