Harvesting radishes: when is the ideal time?

Radishes are a fast growing vegetable that is easy to grow. They bring color and variety to the table and are also very healthy. But when can you start harvesting radishes?

Don't miss the harvest time

So that radishes (Raphanus sativus var. sativus) can develop optimally, one should pay attention to optimal conditions during the cultivation. In particular, dryness should be avoided as it would have a negative effect on consistency and taste. Usually you can sow until September and harvest until October / November, depending on the variety.

• Summer varieties are ready to harvest around four weeks after sowing
• Vegetation period a little longer in spring or early autumn
• about six to eight weeks
• The time window for the harvest is also tight
• in spring and early autumn approx. ten days
• in summer only up to four days
• Do not leave radishes in the ground for too long
• otherwise loss of taste and consistency
• Ready to harvest from a diameter of two to three centimeters
• Tubers are now the most aromatic
• The upper ends of the ripe tubers usually already protrude from the ground

The best time of day to harvest radishes is in the late afternoon. The reason for this is the nitrate content in the tubers, which is highest in the morning and at night. During the day, the root vegetables store the nitrate stored in the tubers in the plant tissue with the help of sunlight. As a result, the nitrate content is lowest and the vitamin content highest in the afternoon.

Tip: With a delayed sowing about every two to three weeks and the right choice of variety, you can continuously harvest radishes until the first frost.

Harvest easy and straightforward

Harvesting radishes is completely uncomplicated and can be carried out without any tools. When the time is right, first loosen the soil around the small tubers. Then you grasp the plants by the leaf base and pull them out of the ground with slight back and forth movements. Then loose soil remains are removed, the leaves and roots cut off and the radishes rinsed under running water. Now they can be eaten fresh immediately or stored or stored accordingly after they have dried off. be stored.

Short-term and permanent storage

Storage in the refrigerator

Radishes contain a lot of water, which is lost very quickly during storage, they dry out. The taste-forming mustard oils are also gradually being broken down. The refrigerator is suitable for short-term storage. The cleaned and defoliated radishes are wrapped in a damp cloth and placed in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. The roots and leaves are removed as they remove moisture from the tubers and make them wrinkled. This will keep them fresh for about two to three days.

In the freezer

To freeze radishes, they should be fresh and dry. After removing the herbs and roots, put them in suitable freezer cans or freezer bags and close them tightly. These root vegetables can be frozen for between six and eight months. They should always be thawed in a closed container. Allowing them to air dry will cause them to dry out and be less juicy.

Tip: Radishes should be dry before freezing. Any remaining water on the tubers would freeze to ice and impair the quality of the small tubers.

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