RADISHES AS A STARTER

One of the easiest vegetables to grow for your first attempt at gardening is radish. Sprinkle a row of seeds just under the soil, keep them moist and within days their sweet little leaves will pop up and it won’t be long before you see red (or white or purple) radishes popping their tops out of the soil. You can let them grow as big as you like, but remember if they get too big, they may not be as nice to eat – of course, that depends on whether you prefer them strong or not.

There are several shapes and colours of radish you can grow. You can have round varieties in red (‘Cherry Belle’), yellow (‘Golden Helios’), white (‘Hailstone’), black (‘Black Spanish’) and even white-skinned with deep red flesh (‘Watermelon’). Then there’s thumb-shaped red (‘French Breakfast’) or purple (‘Mini Daikon’), candle-shaped red (‘Fire Candle’) and carrot-shaped white (daikon radish). Remember to check growing times on the packet when buying your seed.