Topic: Radishes very bitter - why?

[Merete]

Hello, I'm new here...

As a first-time allotment-caretaker, I have, in the normal manner, planted a little bit of everything on my tiny plot, thinking that this way, I'll at least get something.

And I have - lots and lots of nice vegetables.  ;D

But for some reason my radishes have been an utter failure. I have tried two different kinds, picked some of them when they were barely a centimetre across, just four weeks after sowing, tried watering a lot, a little and eveything in between, in shifting weather - and they've ALL been terribly bitter.

For some reason, my beetroots don't seem very keen either - the plants, after sprouting vigorously back in May, haven't grown at all for two months, and remain the length of my little finger, while the turnips in the nect row, sowed on the same day, are lovely, sweet and between golf ball and tennis ball in size.

What is going on here? I thought radishes and beetroots were supposed to be easy?

[tim]

No idea what happens that far north.
Radishes - 'bitter' or hot'? I have always failed with them before, but sowing in modules this year seemed to be a guarantee of success. Watering = no rain? Same here till the rains came & everything went mad! No amount of watering can replace the other stuff. = Tim

[Roy Bham UK]

I'm a total novice and I too have had very little success with Radish, ??? I chose the long ones, :-\ I forget the name, I started some in little degradable modules and later planted them into pots in shade, 8) I had less than 50% success, but those that grew were very tasty and later planted some in a small boarder in full morning sun and they shriveled  >:(when they reached a reasonable size and were not edible. ::)

Roy :)

[Multiveg]

Dunno the answer. But rather than devote a whole row to radish, next your, if you grow parsnips, sow a radish between each parsnip seed - as a marker (parsnips are slow germinators and then look like other weeds so that other halves may think that they are weeds...). When the parsnips do come up, then maybe the radish would be a good size to pull. If still bitter, well, you have made use of the radish as a row marker!

[Merete]

Hmm, it seems that I will have to try parsnips next year!

Watering/rain? May was dry and fairly warm, so I watered a lot, June was completely waterlogged, with rain several times a day, the second half of July was pleasant with occasional night-time showers.

The funny thing is that some of my allotment neighbours are getting great radishes.

I will give them one more chance, then I'm officially giving up.

[tim]

I know I've put these on before but, as said, I had never had clean, mildish, sizable fruit before. The method gave them a head start in the doubtful weather & they never looked back. Just pull a clump when needed. = Tim

[Merete]

I asked around yesterday, when I was picking French beans and watering, and my neighbours agreed that the problem could have been an insect or worm attack of some sort. They have read that when under attack, vegetables activate their defense systems - in the case of radishes, the chemicals that give them their characteristic taste.

So I'll try radishes again next year - but in a different location.

AND the potting thing that tim showed me.

Thanks, everybody!

[tim]

That's an interesting one!

Cover with fleece to ward off the fleabeetles. = Tim