When to Plant Radishes
Radishes are a hardy cool-season vegetable. They can take a hard frost.
Sow them outdoors from 6 weeks before the last spring frost to 1 week after it. For a fall crop, sow 4 to 8 weeks before the first fall frost. The first harvest comes about 25 to 35 days after sowing.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sow outdoors | Feb 1 – Mar 22 | Mar 4 – Apr 22 | Apr 3 – May 22 |
| Harvest | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | Apr 28 – May 12 |
| Fall: Sow outdoors | Sep 20 – Oct 18 | Aug 30 – Sep 27 | Aug 5 – Sep 2 |
| Fall: Harvest | Oct 15 – 29 | Sep 24 – Oct 8 | Aug 30 – Sep 13 |
Growing radishes
Sow a short row every week or so; radishes left in warm soil turn pithy and hot.
- Spacing: 2 in apart, in rows 12 in apart. In a raised bed, 16 per sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 25 to 35 from sowing, then about 2 weeks of picking.
- Successions: sow again every 10 days for a steady supply. See succession planting.
- Rotation: radishes are in the cabbage family. Plant them where nothing from that family grew in the last two years. See crop rotation.
- Traditional companions: bell pepper, broccoli, brussels sprouts, bush bean, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, collards, cucumber, head lettuce, hot pepper, kale, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, nasturtium, pea (shelling/snap/snow), pole bean, romaine lettuce, salad mix (baby greens), spinach, summer squash (zucchini/yellow), winter squash. See companion plants for radishes.
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant radishes and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
Can radishes go in before the last frost?
Yes. Radishes are hardy: sow them from 6 weeks before the last spring frost to 1 week after it.
How long do radishes take to grow?
About 25 to 35 days from sowing to the first harvest, which then lasts about 2 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
Can I grow radishes in fall?
Yes. Sow 4 to 8 weeks before the first fall frost. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
How often should I sow radishes?
Every 10 days or so for a steady harvest, until the last sowing that still ripens before your first fall frost. The planner works that date out for your ZIP code.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- Colorado State University Extension: Vegetable Planting Guide (CMG GardenNotes #720)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech: Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant (426-331 / SPES-673P, 2025)
- University of Maryland Extension: Vegetable Planting Calendar for central Maryland
- UNH Cooperative Extension: Growing Vegetables: When to Plant your Vegetable Garden (2016)
- NC State Extension: Extension Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16: Vegetable Gardening
- WSU Extension: Pacific Northwest Gardener's Handbook, Chapter 7: Vegetable Gardening
- Iowa State: Fall Planting of Vegetables
- Iowa State: Growing Radishes in Iowa
- Utah State University Extension: Suggested Vegetable Planting Dates for Utah
- Montana State University Extension: Can I Grow That Here? Vegetable Seed and Transplant Schedules (MontGuide MT199308AG, rev. 2018)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Small-Scale Gardening (square-foot planting guide)
- UC Master Gardener Program, UC ANR: Companion Planting Chart: Companion Planting for Edible Crops
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, Kenosha County: Companion Plants for the Vegetable Garden (column, 2012)
- Utah State University Extension, Utah 4-H: Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens: Companion Planting (2025)
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County: The Art of Companion Planting (Master Gardener presentation, 2023)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Plant Partners: 5 Benefits of Companion Planting (2025)
- N.C. A&T State University Cooperative Extension: Five Veggies You Can Grow at Home
- UF/IFAS Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program: Companion Planting (FFL in a Minute, 2020)
- WSU Extension Skagit County Master Gardeners: Trap Cropping (2020)