Let's Get this Garden Started! - Our Daily Green

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Let's Get this Garden Started!

radish leaf pesto
One of the most instantly gratifying vegetables to grow is a radish. Radishes mature in about 3-4 weeks and can be planted throughout the gardening season. The mild winter has made mid March the time to start the season's first batch of radishes. Additionally, radishes also ward off squash bugs and leaf miners from other plants.

Radishes are a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. They are low in calories and high in antioxidants, as a cruciferous vegetable.

Additionally, the root isn't the only part of the radish that is edible. The dark green leaf is a tremendous source of vitamins A and C, as well as calcium. The leaves can be used in smoothies, salads or in a wonderful radish leaf pesto.

To start radishes, simply sow the seeds half inch deep and 1 inch apart, in rows spaced 12 inches apart. After the seedlings appear, thin salad radishes to 3 inches apart; thin oriental radishes to 8 to 10 inches apart. Seeds typically sprout in three to seven days when sown in 60-degree soil.

 

No comments :