Radish Plants
Some Quick Facts On Radish Plants
Radish plants come in over 200 varieties, though you may have to do some private searching in order to find some of the more rare types. Personal gardeners and greenhouses will carry types of radish seeds that you may not find in your farm supply, hardware, or department store. Radish plants are tubers, and are best when enjoyed during their tender, crisp stage. As it can be difficult to determine their size, color, and texture from above ground, it is not uncommon for growers to pull test plants early and try them out. Frost can change the taste of your radishes in a good way, but this is only true of light frost. Should your radish plants undergo a heavy frost, they will likely go bitter and be ruined.
Some separate the spring radish plants from the winter types as distinct categories, but the truth is that this description refers to the time of year, or which season, that you choose to plant and harvest your radishes. They are a cool weather tuber, and will benefits from being planted as soon as the earth reaches 50 degrees in the spring time. Likewise, the winter planting will do best once the hottest summer days have past and the earth begins to cool back down a bit. Harvest will ideally be finished before November if you choose this time frame for planting, but remember that any danger of hard frost should prompt you to pull the tubers early.
Once you have pulled you radish plants and have determined that they are of the right taste and texture for you, you will have to think about storing them. Ideally, you will have been pulling them as needed until they are on the verge of damage or overgrowth, and you will have a touch more than a handful to put up. With the exception of daikon radishes, which will keep for up to four months when well refrigerated, most types will save nicely for two to six weeks in the fridge. If you choose to let the leaves stay on your radish plants, their shelf life will be cut drastically, and they will only keep for about two weeks maximum. If you top them right away, you will enjoy your tasty tubers for a much longer period of time.
Radish plants that are grown commercially are usually packed and stabilized at 32 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the handling and shipping processes. The tubers are washed and then quickly blown dry, as too much moisture sealed into the bag with the radishes can cause early mold and decay. Once they hit the grocer’s shelves, they are usually misted with the other vegetables on the stands, especially those radish plants which are bundled with the leaves on.