French Breakfast Radish
Raphanus sativus • Heirloom
These are elegant cut down the center and sprinkled with sea salt. Only 21 days from sprout to harvest.
JOY MAX SCALE ✦✦✦✦✦
An heirloom from the farmer’s markets of late 1800s Paris, this long, tasty radish is one of the easiest to grow. The elongated shape makes for a perfect dipping vessel or garnish.
✦ A beautiful, radish with a sweet, mild flavor. A joy to behold, harvest, and eat!
✦ One of the earliest radish varieties, harvest in just 3 weeks
✦ Fun and easy for kiddos, quick payoff and large seeds
✦ Bright red into white gradient looks great pickled or sliced in half with kosher salt
✦ Edible Flowers (if you leave them to bolt): Sprinkle into mixed salads; top soups, hot pasta, and poached fish; add to cider vinaigrette.
Basic Growing Information
The key to growing radishes is being quick about it. Sow a short row or little patch frequently, thin them quickly, keep them watered, eat them fast, and sow some more.
Radishes require crumbly, well-drained soils. Direct sow 1/2” deep, 2-4” apart any time temps are reliably under 80º. Do succession plantings every two weeks to keep radishes coming. Make sure to thin young seedlings to at least 2” apart so that they can grow full size. For longer, straighter French Breakfast radishes, sow 15–20% more seeds per row than round radishes.
HARVEST: It’s way better to harvest too early than too late, as their flavor will turn spicy and too hot if not picked in their prime. Harvest beginning at about 3-4 weeks when roots are the size of a large marble. Bunch or top and refrigerate. Topped radishes will keep 3–4 weeks in good, crisp condition if kept at 32°F (0°C), 95% relative humidity, and in breathable packaging.
Tips for Growing Radishes
Radishes do not like hot, dry weather. They remain in prime condition only a few days and should be grown rapidly with plenty of moisture to be mild, tender, and attractive. If not harvested, roots may become tough and too spicy to be enjoyable.
Start harvesting beginning at about 3-4 weeks when roots are around 2” in diameter. Bunch or top, and refrigerate. Topped radishes will keep 3–4 weeks in good, crisp condition at very cold temperature.
Can be sown in the same row with carrots, parsley, parsnips, and other slow germinating crops. The radishes help to break soil crust for the weaker and later-germinating crops.
Because they mature quickly, radishes make a good intercrop along with slower growing crops, such as brassicas or peppers.
Companion Planting
Plant radishes near beans, beets, celeriac, chervil, cucumber, lettuce, mint, parsnip, peas, spinach, squash, and tomatoes. They are especially good with carrots as they break up the soil crust in advance of the slower seeds. Avoid: Potatoes