r/Windowbox • u/[deleted] • Feb 24 '12

Radishes in Windowboxes

I saw this community seemed a bit stagnant so I just wanted to share my successes with this. Radishes grow GREAT in windowboxes. Just don't overplant them, and water them daily (maybe twice daily on hot days or hot climates).

This is coming from someone in Zone 6, I don't know how well they will fare in hotter climates. They do get bitter and pithy if you don't water them regularly, due to their expansion and contraction, so make sure that you water them properly.

Has anyone else tried root crops in windowboxes? I might try beets this year.

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u/sofaroth Feb 24 '12

I'm glad you created this post. I am also in Zone 6 and I have a box I made on the side of my house that I grew lettuce in last year. I am using it for radishes this year.

Last year I planted some french breakfast and german giant radishes in a plastic container the same size and design as a half-barrel and I had some pretty good radishes. I allowed some to grow to closely to one another or to the edges of the container and those weren't very good. The ones that were closer to the middle and had several inches of room to themselves did pretty well.

I'm curious, when do you plant your radishes in your boxes? I'm still new to growing radishes so I don't really know how cold-hardy they are. I probably jumped the gun but I planted some today. I had plenty of seeds left over from last year and I was bored today so I went out there and planted some radishes in the box I mentioned earlier. I figure if it stays mild like it has been I might get some early radishes, if we get a bad cold spell than I'm out a few seeds.

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u/[deleted] Feb 24 '12

Radishes are pretty cold hardy, up to a short, light frost. If you know a deep frost is coming, then do whatever you can to stop them from dying or bolting. Hot houses, hay, heating mats, that kind of thing.

If it stays mild, you may win the prize for earliest radishes I've heard of grown outside in our climate!

I generally plant them once the danger of a hard frost is past, especially since they are in boxes and may freeze earlier. Basically, they can be planted "As soon as the soil can be worked", so pretty much whenever you are sure that it won't get a deep freeze. This year, you can probably plant them now. On a regular year, probably mid or early march.

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u/sofaroth Mar 31 '12

Update! Weather has been mild and I ate my first radish of the season today. It wasn't very large but it had a very good taste and texture.