dumb newbie question: root vegetables

dstubbs on 5/19/2010, 7:02 am

Hi everyone,

I'm a couple of weeks into my SFG adventure and so far so good -- about half of my seeds have now spouted little seedlings, with a new one coming up every day or two. Now, I'm wondering how I'll know when things are ready to harvest, especially the root crops like radishes, beets, carrots and so on that grow beneath the soil and you can't actually see? Also, will everything have to be harvested at once, such as radishes and so on that are planted 16 to a square? Can I take just a few and leave the others in the ground for a week or two?

boffer on 5/19/2010, 7:57 am

Hi,
Radishes grow almost sitting on top of the soil.
Beet tops are nearly exposed, and it's usually easy to judge their size visually.
Carrot tops are very near the surface and you can make a pretty good guess visually.

Don't be afraid to push the MM aside with your finger to check development; you won't disturb the root tail (that's what I call them).

Each plant develops at it's own pace. One advantage of the root crops you listed is that they can be eaten at any size, and can be left in the ground for months if desired. For instance, I will leave the carrots I have growing now in the ground until I'm ready to use them. They will last me through next March-April.

herbarium on 5/19/2010, 8:17 am

The only thing I would add it that radishes generally don't keep well in the ground. They begin splitting and get bitter. You can harvest them over a few days but not weeks.

boffer on 5/19/2010, 8:29 am

beuna wrote:The only thing I would add it that radishes generally don't keep well in the ground. They begin splitting and get bitter. You can harvest them over a few days but not weeks.

+1 I think that 'woody' is also used to describe rads past their prime.

dstubbs on 5/19/2010, 10:22 am

Thanks, Boffer and Beuna! I love this forum -- I have a lot to learn but I feel like I have learned quite a lot on here already!

dumb newbie question: root vegetables

dumb newbie question: root vegetables

Re: dumb newbie question: root vegetables

Re: dumb newbie question: root vegetables

Re: dumb newbie question: root vegetables

Re: dumb newbie question: root vegetables