Harvest guide

Radish harvest guide: when to pick and how much to expect

Radishes are the fastest crop in most gardens, ready in about a month. Pick them on time and they stay crisp and mild. Leave them and they turn hot and woody.

Days to harvest: 20–30 days from sowing(Montana State University Extension)
Harvest months: April–February(RHS)
Typical yield: 10 bunches per 3 m (10 ft) row(Montana State University Extension)
Spacing: 2.5 cm (1 in) apart, rows 15 cm (6 in) apart(RHS)
Family: Brassicaceae (cabbage family)
Botanical name: Raphanus sativus

Radish planting and harvest calendar

Sow March–September. Harvest April–February.(RHS)

Radish season timeline

Sow
Harvest

Harvest months include winter radish types. Months are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate, based on RHS (UK) guidance. Shift them earlier or later to match your own frost dates, or by about six months in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sow
Harvest

When to harvest radishes

Salad radishes can be ready about four weeks after they come up, when roots are roughly 2.5 cm (1 in) across. Early-spring sowings take a bit longer, around six to eight weeks.(RHS)
Roots left too long, or grown slowly, become pithy and very hot.(RHS)

How often to pick

Sow small batches regularly through the season and pull radishes as soon as they reach size.(RHS)

How many radishes to expect

A 3 m (10 ft) row typically gives about 10 bunches.(Montana State University Extension)

Yields vary with variety, weather, soil and care. Treat these as ballpark figures, not targets.

Plan for your family

For 4 people eating radishes fresh, plan on about 6–12 m (20–40 ft) of row(University of Missouri Extension). That should give roughly 20–40 bunches(Montana State University Extension).

See the full planting-per-person guide →

Storing your radishes

Cut off the leaves and the thin tail root, then keep radishes in a bag in the fridge crisper. They keep for one to two weeks.(University of Maine Cooperative Extension)
In cold, humid storage without their tops, they can last about a month.(University of Minnesota Extension)

Track it

Log every radish harvest

Harvest Journal is a private garden journal for your phone. Tap to log each picking of radishes by weight or count, and see your season add up, with no account needed.

Prefer paper? Make a free harvest report PDF in your browser, with no account needed.

Radish harvest FAQ

How long do radishes take to grow?

About 20 to 30 days, according to Montana State University Extension. The RHS says salad radishes can be ready around four weeks after germination in warm weather.

Why are my radishes hot and woody?

Usually because they were left in the ground too long or grew slowly. The RHS notes that old or slow-grown radishes go pithy and very hot, so pull them young.