Amethyst Red Radishes Vegetables Seeds - West Coast Seeds

PRODUCT DETAILS

Amethyst is an unusual, bright purple skinned radish with very tasty white flesh. Successive plantings of Amethyst radish seeds every two weeks or so allows for harvests from April to October. The roots of Amethyst are slow to turn woody. Amethyst radishes are easy to grow and spectacular on the market table. Once cleaned after harvest, the little roots are incredibly bright. They look superb on the market table, in CSA farm boxes, and sliced into salads. Grown as microgreens, fresh radish greens are full of flavour, and bring a sharp accent to savoury dishes. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Matures in 25-30 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

• Bright purple skins
• Tasty white flesh
• Open pollinated
• Matures in 25-30 days

All About Amethyst

Latin

Raphanus sativus. Family: Brassicaceae

Difficulty

Easy

We Recommend:

If you don’t already have a favourite, go for variety: The Easter Egg (RD674) can’t be surpassed for showing everything a radish can be. Not only do you get a mix of colours, but you’ll come to appreciate subtle flavour differences, and differences in piquancy, or spiciness.

Season & Zone

Season: Cool season. Exposure: Full sun

Timing

Radishes can be grown all season but they’re easiest when sown just after the last frost date and again at the end of summer and into the fall. Optimal soil temperature: 18-24°C (65-75°F). Seeds should sprout in 5-7 days.

Starting

Sow seeds 5mm (¼”) deep, 25 seeds per 30cm (12″) in rows spaced 30-45cm (12-18″) apart, and thin to 6-12 plants per 30cm (12″).

Days to Maturity: From direct sowing.

Growing

Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8. Radishes are moderate to heavy feeders. Best in rich, loamy soil amended with composted manure. Add 1 cup of complete organic fertilizer for every 3m (10′) of row for background fertility. Lime beds the previous fall. The real secret to growing this little vegetable is speed. Sow a short row frequently, thin them quickly, keep them watered, eat them quickly, and sow some more.

Harvest

Harvest promptly when radishes are the size of large marbles. The leaves and developing seedpods are also tasty.

Seed Info

In optimal conditions at least 80% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 4 years. Per 100′ row: 1.2M seeds, per acre: 522M seeds.

Diseases & Pests

Root maggots and flea beetles can be a problem. Expect to lose 20-30% of your crop to maggots if you don’t use a floating row cover.

Companion Planting

Plant radishes near beans, beets, celeriac, chervil, cucumber, lettuce, mint, parsnip, peas, spinach, squash, and tomatoes. Avoid planting near Agastache or potatoes. It is said that planting 3 or 4 icicle radishes around the mound where you plant squash, and allowing them to grow and bloom, will prevent most pests of squash and cucumber.