by A.J. Coltrane
Mache and two types of radishes – “Cherry Bell” and “French Breakfast”:
The Mache was direct seeded on January 5. I doubt that the super-early planting produced something much earlier than if I’d just waited another 4-6 weeks. It’s listed as a 50-day maturity, and we’re eating the last of them about 100 days later. The correct answer is (probably) to plant Mache in September-October or late February. Still, it was a good exercise to see what Mache would tolerate, and it survived the cold weather just fine.
The “Cherry Belle” radishes were direct seeded on February 10. In theory they can be ready to harvest in as little as 22 days (at 3/4″ – 1″ in diameter). It took closer to two months. They definitely didn’t like being at all cramped in the EarthBox. I think this variety is likely better suited for a container that offers more elbow room.
The “French Breakfast” radishes were direct seeded on March 7. They’re supposed to take 25-30 days to get 3-4″ long and 1/2″ in diameter. They took a couple of weeks longer than that, which I’d guess was to be expected. The nice thing about this variety is that they grow downward like carrots, rather than expanding much in width. My suspicion is that these are the better variety for limited-space situations.
If anyone has a good recipe for radish leaves I’m all ears. It looks like people either eat them raw or saute them with aromatics..
FlatbreadGarden 