The Radishes Are Coming! The Radishes Are Coming!

If you planted your early veggies (radishes, carrots and onions) according to The Farmer's Almanac, your growing zone or the phases of the moon, you're probably beginning to see growth like is shown in these photos. Warmer climates, are probably already harvesting these crops! I planted four different kinds of radishes this year...some are earlier than others. I tried the Cincinnati Market again, but added Watermelon, Easter Egg and Champion too. I had a little help from my youngest and her neighbor buddy, so I don't honestly know which one is pictured above. My guess is the Champion variety. 

It doesn't matter to me though...they will all taste delicious. And I expect to harvest some small ones starting next week so I can let some of the late growers spread out. [Did you know the radish tops are edible/juice-able too!]

The bok choy is coming along very well too! It has been a hardy, fast growing, cold weather-friendly cabbage that I'm glad I decided to experiment with this year. If you throw it in some of your greens, it does have a stronger taste than the rest of your salad, but it is wonderful in juice because of it's mild taste. Go figure. A lot of people prefer juicing bok choy over kale.

The celery is looking pretty good. This is my first attempt at trying this slow-grower from seed. It takes a long time to harvest (as much as 130-140 days!). When I've started celery from scraps in the past, I've always begun clipping it when it's small and allowed it to continue to grow throughout the summer. [I currently have a bok choy that was started with a similar method] I usually prefer baby greens, so baby celery or baby bok choy is a great addition to a home grown salad.

It's not too late to get started with your carrots, radishes or beets, but you do want to start as soon as possible or the heat will kick in and your plants will bolt.

*******************************************

End note: The photos above were taken about 30 minutes before they took a good shellacking from a torrential downpour combined with quarter-sized hail. They all survived and I had just moved my radishes to give them a break from all of the heavy rain we've had. The bok choy has some shredded leaves and I spent an hour repairing tomato plants, but only lost one.