Rainline Garden
My garden planMy plan
A bunch of freshly pulled radishes lying on the soil

Oregon · Washington · Idaho

When to plant radishes

Plant in the garden: Portland and Seattle Mar 1 – Apr 26; Spokane Apr 1 – May 27; Boise Mar 20 – May 15; Bend Apr 28 – Jun 23.

Radishes are a fast cabbage-family root, ready about a month after sowing, eaten raw for their crisp, peppery bite. Round red radishes are the familiar ones, but long white daikon, French Breakfast and winter radishes like Black Spanish are grown the same way on different schedules. The young leaves and the crunchy green seed pods of a flowering plant are edible too.

Add to my garden plan

Puts radishes on your free plan, with dates for your town and a spot in your beds.

Difficulty
Easy
Sun
Full sun; tolerates light shade
Spacing
1 inch apart (thin to 2 inches)
Planting depth
½ inch deep
Frost
Handles light frost
First harvest
About 28 days after planting

Sow a short row every two weeks for a steady supply.

Radish planting dates

TownsPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Portland, OR, Seattle and Tacoma, WAMar 1 – Apr 26Sep 3–17
Spokane, WAApr 1 – May 27Aug 31 – Sep 14
Boise and Meridian, IDMar 20 – May 15Sep 3–17
Bend and Redmond, ORApr 28 – Jun 23Aug 3–17
Astoria, ORMar 25 – May 20Sep 3–17

Dates for six main cities. For any of the other 80 towns, type it in the box at the top of the page or browse all towns.

Radish year at a glance

TaskJFMAMJJASOND
PlantMarAprSep
HarvestAprMayJunOctNov

Around Portland. Colder towns, especially east of the Cascades, run a few weeks later; the table above has your town's planting dates.

How to grow radishes

  1. Prepare the bed: loosen the soil and mix in an inch or two of compost.
  2. Plant seeds on your city's dates, ½ inch deep, 1 inch apart (thin to 2 inches).
  3. Keep the soil evenly moist until sprouts appear, which can take one to three weeks in cool soil.
  4. Plant again on your city's dates for a fall harvest.
  5. Harvest: Most are ready in about four weeks. Pull them while they're small; they turn woody if left too long.

Growing radishes in your part of the Northwest

The same plant behaves differently on the wet west side, the foggy coast and the dry, colder east side.

West-side valleys

Willamette Valley, Puget Sound, southern Oregon

Cabbage root maggots are at their worst in the cool, wet soil of April and May, so cover spring sowings from day one. Fall radishes sown in late August usually grow cleaner and milder than spring ones.

Coast

Oregon and Washington coast

Cool summers let you keep sowing small rows later into summer than inland gardeners can, though long June days still push some plants to bolt.

East of the Cascades

Columbia Basin, Yakima, Boise, Spokane, north Idaho

Spring warms up fast, so the window for crisp radishes is short: sow as early as the soil allows. Flea beetles love hot, dry weather, so keep row cover on.

High desert and mountain towns

Central Oregon, high eastern Oregon valleys, McCall, Salmon

Radishes handle the frosts of a high desert spring and stay mild in the cool nights. Keep the soil moist; the dry air and loose pumice or sandy soil dry out quickly.

More radish varieties

More widely sold picks that do well somewhere in the Northwest. The tag says which part of the Northwest suits each one best.

Cherry Belle

Round red, classic · 24 days

Bright red, round radishes with crisp white flesh and a mild bite. Fast and reliable, it is an easy first crop for kids and new gardeners in a cool Northwest spring.

Both sides

French Breakfast

Oblong red-and-white · 25 days

Elongated rose-red roots with white tips and a mild, tender flavor. Pull them young; they get pithy and hot if left in warm weather.

Both sides

Easter Egg

Mixed colors, round · 28 days

A blend of red, pink, purple and white round radishes from one packet. Colors mature at slightly different times, which stretches the harvest a little.

Both sides

Champion

Round red, large · 28 days

Larger red globes that stay crisp and solid longer than many round radishes. A good pick if you can't always harvest right on time.

Both sides

Watermelon

Winter radish, Chinese type · 60 days

A large round radish with green-white skin and bright pink-red flesh. Sow it in mid to late summer for fall harvest; cool weather brings out its sweet, mild flavor.

Both sides

How much to grow

How many to plant

Sow a 3- to 4-foot row every two weeks in spring and again in late summer. A small, steady supply beats one big sowing that goes woody.

What to expect

About 10 to 12 radishes per foot of row.

Storing the harvest

Cut off the greens and keep roots in a bag in the fridge for two to three weeks.

What to plant after radishes

Around Portland, the radish harvest wraps up around June. These crops can still go into the same bed, and they come from a different plant family, which helps with rotation.

Portland dates. Pick your town at the top of the page for yours.

Key numbers

Top care tip: Keep the top few inches of soil evenly moist, since radishes that dry out turn hot, woody or cracked.

Growing notes

What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.

Soil and steady growth

Radishes want loose, crumbly soil with no rocks or clods, and a pH of about 6.0 to 7.0. They grow so fast that they rarely need extra fertilizer; too much nitrogen gives you big leaves and skinny roots. The real secret is quick, even growth. Keep the top few inches of soil moist from sowing to harvest. A radish that dries out and then gets soaked tends to crack, and one that grows slowly in dry soil turns hot and tough.

Why radishes go woody or bolt

Radishes are a cool-weather crop. As days get long and warm in early summer, plants switch from making a root to making a flower stalk, and the root turns pithy and sharp. That is why the guide suggests short rows every two weeks rather than one big sowing. In the Northwest, sow from early spring into May, skip midsummer, and start again in late August for a fall crop. East of the Cascades, spring heat arrives fast, so get the first sowings in as soon as the soil can be worked.

Keeping root maggots out

Cabbage root maggots are the larvae of a small gray fly that lays eggs at the base of young radishes. They do the most damage in cool, wet spring soil, which is exactly what western Oregon and Washington have in April and May. Row cover works because it blocks the fly before eggs are laid, so lay it on the day you sow and tuck the edges into the soil. Rotate where you plant radishes, turnips and cabbage-family crops each year so maggots don't build up in one bed.

Good neighbors and crop rotation

Good neighbors

  • Carrots and parsnips. Mix a few radish seeds into the row. They sprout fast, mark the row and are pulled before the slow crop needs the space.
  • Lettuce. Both like cool, moist spring soil and fit between larger crops.

Cabbage family: Grow cabbage-family crops in a different bed each year and come back to the same spot only every three or four years. Clubroot, which swells and knots the roots, lives in the soil for many years once it arrives, and root maggot pupae wait in last year's bed.

Pests and problems

What most often goes wrong with radishes in Northwest gardens, how to spot it and what to do.

Cabbage root maggots

Signs: Brown tunnels in the roots; worst in cool, wet spring soil.

What to do: Lay row cover over the bed at sowing and seal the edges.

Flea beetles

Signs: Tiny round holes all over young leaves in spring.

What to do: Row cover from sowing. Plants usually outgrow light damage.

Woody, hot or hollow roots

Signs: Roots crack, turn pithy or bite hard.

What to do: Water evenly and pull on time. Late-spring heat makes them hot and quick to bolt.

Common questions about growing radishes

When should I plant radishes in Oregon, Washington and Idaho?

Plant in the garden: Mar 1 – Apr 26 in Portland and Seattle, Apr 1 – May 27 in Spokane, Mar 20 – May 15 in Boise and Apr 28 – Jun 23 in Bend. Pick your town at the top of the page for your own dates.

Why are my radishes all leaves and no root?

Usually the plants are too crowded, too shaded, or getting too much nitrogen. Thin seedlings to about 2 inches apart and give them full sun. Hot weather can also push plants to flower before they form a root.

Why are my radishes so spicy?

Heat and dry soil make radishes hotter. Spring and fall radishes grown in cool weather with steady water are the mildest. Pick them on time, since older radishes get sharper and woodier.

Can I grow radishes in summer in the Northwest?

You can try, but most varieties bolt and turn pithy in long, warm summer days. It's easier to take a break from June to mid-August and sow again for fall. Fall radishes are often the best of the year here.

Also on these lists:

See what else to plant in March, April or September.

More root vegetables

See all 109 plants