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Grow to eat: the joy of crunchy summer radish

'Viola' radish - GAP Photos
'Viola' radish - GAP Photos

Are radishes underappreciated? They seem to be. I love their crunch – it evokes the nostalgia of childhood picnics. To me, radishes are a taste of summer. I still get excited seeing them in salads – and those picked from the veg patch are the best.

Radishes can be sown all through summer for a regular supply, little and often being key. We’ve been eating my allotment radishes since early May from spring sowings, but the real bounty is yet to come. Plant seeds 1in (2cm) apart in short rows ½in (1cm) deep, spacing rows 6in (15cm) apart. Radish make small plants with tiny root systems so they also grow well in pots.

Aim to use fertile soil or compost, though they’ll be happy in anything as long as they have plenty of moisture. Like humans, radishes need to drink a lot of water for smooth skin. A good drench of seaweed fertiliser every so often will help them along.

Grapefruit and radish salad - Credit: PhotoCuisine RM / Alamy
Grapefruit and radish salad Credit: PhotoCuisine RM / Alamy

Almost any radish seed will do, though those with “F1 hybrid” in the name means they are vigorous cross-breeds of two different types and a safe bet (try nickys-nursery.co.uk for a large selection). ‘Mars’ grows quickly and has a strong radishy taste. ‘Viola’ has beautiful purple colour while ‘Bluemoon and Redmoon mix’ F1 hybrid (thompson-morgan.com) offer exciting pink and purple roots. For easy slicing try ‘Candela di fuoco’ with long, carrot-shaped roots (mr-fothergills.co.uk).

And radishes in winter? Sow mooli radish or ‘Dragon’ F1 hybrid July and August to eat from Hallowe’en until Christmas. But let’s not think about that yet.

Find Jack’s blog at jackwallington.com. Follow him on Twitter @jackwallington and Instagram @jackjjw