Cultivation of the Spanish. radish can be found in the 14th centrury but became a popular edible in the 16th century. A frost hardy edible with fire.
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Winter
Black Spanish Round
Raphanus sativus
Watermelon Red Meat Winter
Radishes
French name
Gros Noir dHiver
from the family
Brassicaceae
I had a spare piece of guttering brought two end caps and suspended it from the ceiling part of the hoops on the polytunnel. Providing extra growing space however limited depth of space. Should be ideal for radishes and lettuces. I’ve planted both winter varieties and they seem to be doing rather well.
Fast growing 50-65 days for a full crop. The seeds are easy to germinate, they need thinning out. Best planted out in growing position, sowing thinly with a light covering of soil.
Moisture stress can cause woody and hot radishes, this can also be a problem of poor soil.
My black radishes ended up a bit woody but that may have been due to the time I left them in. They grew well but the bulbs didn’t swell up, so I left them in longer. I thought this why the skins were so woody. I just peeled them pre eating them.It was fiddly but didn’t effect the quality, they were very fiery unlike the watermelon which had a slightly sweet flavour quite mild, a typical salad radish.
These wer planted at the beginning of September in new beds with well rotted manure.
Like many root vegatbles these are best eaten after a few frosts as this mellows their taste.
See above for my notes on polytunnel radish growing.
The black radish is something that I will plan to grow next season, they look wonderful with the snowy white interior and the black skins with their peppery heat they are a real delight.
Apparently, they store well.
When to plant these are frost tolerant so you can sow them in spring and more typically from mid-summer to early autumn. Then planting in succession every few weeks.
They can handle a little shade. I typically will use them as underplanting them whilst larger plants are growing.
55 to 65 days to maturity.
If you leave them too long before harvesting the skins are likely to be tough and woody.
Height bulbs 3-6cm
Planting distance 7.5cm
depth 1.2cm
They are a sharp bite to salads, raw. Beautiful contrast of black and white on the plate. The hot spiciness on winter days is fab. Black radish wedges are good when added to roasted vegetables. Can be added to stews and other dishes for a little bit of pep.
easy to grow
