You may know about radishes. Pretty pink little round root vegetables that have a mild kick/tangy taste. They are the quickest and usually first spring crop to come to harvest. Radishes take approximately 28 days from seed to harvest and are well known as a decorative plate vegetable or as a topping in salads.
We love to grow radishes because of the satisfying quick harvest at the start of the gardening season. But also because of their tasty and fruitful seed pods! If you are new to gardening, here’s a growing guide on how to grow a successful radish crop.
If you leave radishes in the ground long enough, like all annual plants, they will go to seed. This is the process of growing bigger & longer leaves that will flower and produce seeds so that the plant can regrow next year. The root (radish) will continue to grow bigger, but will severely lack in taste and become woody and unpleasant. This is because the growth is now focused on the seeds.
Can I Eat Radish Seed Pods?
Yes you can & I highly encourage it! A single radish plant will produce HUNDREDS of seed pods if left in the ground. Seriously, hundreds. This is a delightful snack you can enjoy in the garden until the pods start to dry out (usually mid-summer). This tasty fresh snack can be enjoyed by anyone from 1.5 years old and beyond.
These seed pods are just an nutritious as the radish since it contains all the DNA needed to create another radish plant. I enjoy these seed pods just as I would treat snap-pea pods.
*Disclaimer: Our 1.5 year old ate them after I cut the pod & seeds in half or cooked it up a little so the seeds were soft and not hard round balls that can be a choking hazard to very young children. Please be mindful when giving round, raw seeds to a toddler.*
When to Not Eat Radish Seed Pods?
It’s easy to tell when you should stop eating radish seed pods. The pods will start turning brown as the inner seeds start to dry out. Only eat when they’re vibrant green as shown here.
Can I Still Save Radish Seeds?
Since a single plant literally produces hundreds of radish seeds. In theory you wouldn’t need more than one dried seed pod saved for next years garden. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to save radish seeds so you can continue to snack on the root and the seed pods for years to come!
Conclusion:
Radishes are a great plant to have in your garden, kitchen, and pantry. They grow in a short period of time, they’re tasty when harvested young, and they produce hundreds of delicious small and tasty seed pods to snack on when they go to seed.
We hope you enjoyed this fun fact about gardening. If you did, make sure you check out the other growing guides, seed saving guides and our recipes. We are growing our website with more articles all the time, and we invite you to grow with us. If you have any questions about basil or would like to share some of your knowledge with us please leave a comment below.
