Lessons from the Radish Row

Tom Langebartels
Jul 15
2 min read

It’s our first year in a market garden. We started building as soon as the rain stopped in mid to late April; not the ideal time in Indiana. By this time, we like to have our early vegetables in the ground. Since we didn’t get to plant until the second week of May, we planted everything at once, ignoring the plan created for early, mid, and late season plantings. And we waited.

We planted our seeds in carefully measured rows – radishes, tomatoes, green beans, lettuce, squashes, etc. Day and night, we waited until the sprouts began to appear. The radishes popped up first, then some squash and beans, and all the other vegetables, each in its own time. But the radishes…They grew and they grew quickly – in just 22 days from seed to harvest. Unfortunately, nothing else was close to producing fruit. So, what is to be done with 14 lbs. of beautiful, red, golf ball-sized radishes when there is no other produce? Generally speaking, people don’t line up at a roadside radish stand waiting impatiently to get their crimson orbs. We sold several bunches to friends, we took some to a family reunion, and we discovered a new delicacy, roasted radishes! I kid you not! Roasted radishes are delicious - even better when grilled. They lose their pungent flavor and become potato-like with a texture similar to cooked cauliflower.

The lesson learned? – stick to the plan. Plant vegetables so several will be ready at the same time. A vegetable stand is much more attractive than a radish stand.