Don't Radishes Grow in Clusters?

I plucked a radish out of the ground yesterday that looked ready. I was surprised though to find just one radish at the other end. I thought they grew in clusters; or is that beets?

Radishes and beets both develop as an individual root.

The 'seeds' we plant to grow beets are sometimes called a cluster. They are actually made up of 4 or 5 seeds.

Beets and Radishes both grow individually. Sorry.

okay I'm just going by what I see at the market. I thought they grew that way.

Silly me.

In the store there is a rubber band put around the cluster of radishes. If you want to grow them in a cluster you would need to put one around the seeds too. LOL . I will agree with Boffer that beets will sometimes produce in clusters because that is how the seed casing was populated. Here is a quote from a gardening site " The wrinkled seedball usually contains two to four viable seeds, making it necessary to thin to 3- to 4-inch spacings if you plan to harvest young, small or cylindrical-shaped roots, or 6-inch spacings for larger roots for winter storage". Well I thin my beets by picking the biggest ones early as possible ( quarter sized and up) to steam for lunch and harvest that way until it is beet pickle canning time. In other forum threads there are some interesting uses of radishes described besides just whole fresh or as salad fixins.

I honestly don't know why I'm even growing radishes; I can't stand them. It must be because they're so darned cute. LOL

The Cynergist wrote:I honestly don't know why I'm even growing radishes; I can't stand them. It must be because they're so darned cute. LOL

- lol. I can almost see myself doing that.

My wife makes a nice salad similar to a coleslaw from just radishes and I think salt and vinegar marinated a short while. She has not spoken to me in weeks or I wold get more details. But there are tons of great uses for them. Think about this to help you like them better. "Radishes and Blood Pressure
Radishes are high in potassium which is helps keep blood pressure at safe levels. Potassium lowers blood pressure because its effects are opposite of those of sodium. Salt, which is sodium based, increases water retention. Potassium, on the other hand, is a diuretic that flushes water from the body. The National Institute of Health DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) recommends increasing potassium, calcium, and magnesium to keep blood pressure at healthy levels.This unassuming root vegetable packs more health benefits than you may suspect. By stimulating the flow of bile, radishes are a useful tool for fat digestion, decongesting the gall bladder, and cleansing of both the liver and the blood. They have also been used to break up gallstones and kidney stones. In order to best utilize these benefits, radish juice is recommended. Drink in increasing doses from 1/2 to 2 cupfuls daily, continued over several weeks, then decreasing back down to 1/2 cup. Radishes are also low on the glycemic index and are a negative calorie food. This means you burn more calories digesting them than they contain." from http://www.joyfulbelly.com/Ayurveda/ingredient/Radish-raw/243 . Now that mite not be your cup of tea but they do add a healthful and attractive flare to dishes hot or cold.

westie42 wrote: She has not spoken to me in weeks or I wold get more details.

Hmmm...I think I'll leave that one alone.

westie42 wrote:Radishes are also low on the glycemic index

I think I read something about the negatives effects of potassium on blood sugar.

Denese wrote:mellows their flavor that way.

I'll have to try that. Maybe in my beef stew? It's the sting I can't take, so if cooking them helps, then it might be worth a go.

Do you think if I harvest all my radishes I'll have enough time for more beets?

Absolutely you will I always start my fall beet crop in mid August here and finish the harvest under plastic ground cover after frost sets in. Ask BlackRose or somebody else about specific plant dates for your locality though. I'll PM you when next she speaks to me although we mite see another solstice come first.

Great! thanks Westie

You could also throw some sliced radishes into a homemade chicken soup. My husband makes his with radishes. It adds a nice crunch without the strong taste.

The Cynergist wrote:I honestly don't know why I'm even growing radishes; I can't stand them. It must be because they're so darned cute. LOL

I don't like them either. I bought some pretty pink ones because all the reviews said "if you don't like radishes these are for you". Not so true... You should have seen my face pucker like a picky three year old when I tried to eat one lol.

I don't like the heat either, but my husband sauteed some and they were delicious! I also saw this recipe for honey-roasted radishes and I can't wait to try it. I have plenty of radish seeds, but I didn't get around to planting any this year (yet!).

sliced radishes
cider vinegar
artificial sweetner ( I use splenda these days)

prepare about 1/2 hours before eating. does not store well.

this was a Weight Watcher's recipe from the original diet plan when the radish was one of the few "free" ( all you want) veggies. Celery and lettuce were the others.

Also don't throw out the beet pickle juice instead put stuff like radish slices or cauliflower or kohlrabi slices in it for a few days.

Westie42 wrote:

Also don't
throw out the beet pickle juice instead put stuff like radish slices or
cauliflower or kohlrabi slices in it for a few days.

Ooooooh! Never thought of that! Sounds delish!!

Wow! lots of good ideas here. Thanks guys. I ended up making a pasta salad and added them in. There was still a little bite to it, but not so bad with all the other ingredients. I served it with sausage for supper and had my girlfriend over. she loved it.

Don't forget they are good as a trap crop to combat insects. I planted them everywhere in every box (yes, in defiance of the sf grid, but I am a first year sfg-er ) in hopes that they will distract the nasties from my good stuff. I have plenty to eat and plenty to leave in the ground that way.

Edited to add that French Breakfast is the only variety I planted this year.

Oh I didn't know they keep bugs away. I am planning on planting more of them. I wondered if I could plant them again in the same squares as before, or if you have to plant something different.

I forgot to show the actual radish harvest. It's only little, but I didn't know how many radish plants I was allowed in a square.

Cyn, next time you plant radishes, put 16 in a square.

After adding compost to the square, you can replant radishes in the same square, if it stays cool enough in your area. Radishes usually don't like heat. You might also want to consider using the radishes to mark off some squares or just add a few around the edges of bigger plants.