If you leave them too long they'll get woody, so I guess it depends on just how long you're thinking about leaving them in storage.

According to Edward Smith, (of "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible" fame) mature radishes should be harvested ASAP and stored in the fridge/root cellar, because the longer they stay in the ground, the more the roots will become woody and tend to split.

Speaking of which: the remaining "Cherry Belles" in the garden are going to be pulled today to make way for cucumbers. Thanks for reminding me. ;)

Radishes are better harvested earlier than later. I crowd mine on purpose so I don't leave them in the ground too long.

Dan

Okay, thanks guys for the quick response. I went out and pulled the ones that looked full sized to me. So my next question is do I cut the leaves off, or leave them on?

{{gwi:22393}}

Some of them are Early Scarlet Globe, and some are Cherry Belles. I'm not sure which is which, they look the same to me. The White Icicle seem to be growing much slower. Is that typical of the carrot shaped ones?

...and what does "woody" mean? Is it something I can tell by looking at them, or does it have to do with how tough they are to chew?

Does the radish foliage make anyone else's skin itch, or is that just me?

Sorry for so many questions, but I'm a radish newbie!

Bonnie, those are good-looking radishes!

Icicle does mature later than the others.

Woody radishes are tough and HOT!

The leaves will deteriorate first so you may as well remove them.

"Storage life of radishes is limited to 5 to 6 days in the refrigerator if stored in plastic bags with holes punched for air space. Remove tops at l/2 inch from the radish, and clean the roots before storage." (linked below)

digitS'

Here is a link that might be useful: Carrots, Radishes, Onions, and Similar - OSU

If you have a few radishes that are too mature, you can let them bolt and flower. Then, eat the immature seed pods. There are a few varieties bred especially for their seed pods, but any of them will work. You want to eat the pods while they are still small and tender.

Plus if you let radishes go to seed, you will never have to plant them again! I am eating last years radishes now.

Organic Gardening actually had a recipe for radish greens soup. It wasn't too bad. I see several versions online in various places.

Well, I decided to pull up the couple of radishes that had flower buds on them, and was surprised to find hardly any root development. I expected to find a big radish. I guess all its energy went into the flower stalk. They were all White Icicle radishes too, so I may not grow them next time, since they bolt before they are big enough to eat, they aren't worth the garden space to me. Besides, those Cherry Belles are yummy!

I planted a few Daikon radishes this spring (though they're recommended for fall planting, not spring). I have one that is tall and flowering and I was surprised to see theat it actually has a large root on it. I'm used to Bonnie's results - flowers mean no roots. Anyone know if it would still be worth eating or would it likely be woody?

Here is a link that might be useful: Tales of a Transplanted Gardener

I let some of the radish go too long and they bolted. Will they produce usable seed, or should I harvest the pods?

The seed will produce new radish plants. If the originals were hybrids they'll most likely not reproduce the same traits. Even if heirlooms they may not come true because radish cross pollinates easily. You might get something interesting.

Radish make good cover crops too as they can open up the soil quite a bit as they die.