On Wed, 31 May 2017 21:22:32 -0700, T wrote:

Hi all,

I am super pleased with my radishes this year. They are
now too big for the earwigs to hassle with. I didn't
look for two days and they have doubled in size! Yippee!
Something I can't kill!

Questions:

1) how will I know when they can be harvested?

Some of this depends on what kind of radishes you have planted, but
generally, their tops will pop up right at or slightly above the soil
line. You can get an idea of size by feel at that point. I mention
feel, as there are some I like to pull young - say, small, French
b'fast ones, and other I allow to get larger to develop more fully.
The trick is not allowing them to get woody. Pick 'em young enough
that they are crisp and juicy. It will not take you more than a couple
of days of experimenting to get to know what your preferences are.

Mine mature at different times, so I cannot pick a whole row at once
(I actually grow them in tubs. They do very well there as it is easy
to keep the soil friable.) I just feel around the bulbous part that is
sticking up to gauge the size to be what I seek, then pick it, or
leave it..

2) can I leave them in the ground and harvest them
at different times to keep them from spoiling?


Nature helps with that somewhat, but they don't like hanging around
overly long like carrots, beets, or horseradish - at least not the
good eating radishes.