Rivoli has been named a 2014 All-America Selection winner, and it's easy to see why. This radish is simply all-around superior, from texture and flavor to disease resistance and holding ability. The 1½-inch-diameter globes are a pure, even watermelon-red, with snowy white interiors. The texture is crunchy and just moist enough, and the flavor is mildly peppery. Pick them young and you won't believe how delicious they are, but even if you wait, Rivoli keeps its good texture and flavor after harvest. You can't go wrong!
And if you've had problems with radishes before, Rivoli offers great disease resistance. Fusarium wilt is no issue for this radish, and mildew is a thing of the past. Don't worry about hot or wet weather ruining your crop!
Rivoli is ready to harvest in just a month, when the tops are less than 10 inches high. These radishes look as good as they taste, and are especially scrumptious when picked young. You're going to fall in love with Rivoli, and your salads, soups, and casseroles will be all the better for it!
Before planting, fertilize the soil and make sure that it is as loose, moist, and rich as possible, since the root needs space to develop and has little time to push its way through heavy soils. Sow the seeds ½-inch deep and 1 inch apart, in rows about a foot apart. Fertilize again about 2 weeks after planting. When the tops are about 2 inches high, thin the plants to 2 inches apart (and use the thinnings in soups and salads!), to give the roots space to swell under the ground.
For continuous crops, sow seeds successively every week from earliest spring until late spring, then again in late summer for fall crops. Radishes cannot withstand heat, so judge when to stop spring sowing based on the climate in your area. They can also be sown in containers and finished in a sunny window in the air-conditioned house in climates where spring is short and warm. Pkt is 100 seeds.
Root crops are popular with both commercial growers and home gardeners because they're versatile, delicious, and in many cases, perfect for canning or over-winter storage. Beets, Radishes, Turnips, and Carrots contain numerous vitamins and nutrients, offer a wide range of flavors and textures, can be enjoyed raw or cooked, and are wonderfully easy to grow!
Choosing Root Crop Varieties
When choosing which Beets or Radishes to grow there are several factors you will want to take into consideration. First of all, both come in a variety of interesting shapes and beautiful colors, so pick whatever appeals to your eye! Also, Radishes offer varying degrees of heat and Beets have flavors that range from earthy to sweet. Smaller Beets are usually the best for canning and pickling, and many people enjoy the nutritious Beet greens as well as the root itself. As far as choosing a type of Carrot to plant, you will be deciding mostly by color and shape.
When to Start Root Crops
Direct sow your root crops in early spring or late summer. They're cool-weather crops, most preferring temperatures of around 70 degrees F in order to germinate. All but Carrots will germinate in a week to ten days. Carrots can take up to 3 weeks.
How to Start Root Crops
Direct sowing is preferable to transplanting because there is less root disturbance. Before sowing, cultivate deeply.
Beets: Soak the seeds in warm water for 24 hours before sowing -- this will aid in germination. Early spring is the typical time to sow your Beets, but in zones 9 to 10 you can sow outdoors in the fall. Sow at a depth of 4 times the size of the seeds, planting successively at 3-week intervals for crops throughout the season. Site in full sun in a loose, rich, well-drained soil. Expect germination in 10 to 15 days and harvests within 50 to 60.
Radishes: Early spring is the typical time to sow your Radishes, but in zones 8 and warmer you can sow outdoors in the fall for a winter crop. Sow at a depth of 4 times the size of the seeds, planting successively at 2-week intervals until mid-spring and then again in late summer. Site in full sun in a loose, rich, sandy, moist, well-drained soil. Expect germination in 6 to 10 days.
Carrots: Early spring is the typical time to sow your Carrots, but in warm climates you can sow outdoors in the fall for a fall crop. Sow at a ¼-inch depth, planting successively at 3-week intervals until early summer. Site in full sun in rich, loose, deeply worked and well-drained soil. Expect germination in 14 to 21 days.
Turnips: Sow in early spring after all danger of frost is past but while the ground is still cool. You can make successive sowings up to 5 weeks before temperatures are above 80 degrees F, then again in late summer if you want a fall harvest. In zones 8 and warmer you can also sow from early fall through spring for continuous crops over the winter. Sow at a depth of 4 times the size of the seeds. Site in full sun in fertile, moist, well-drained soil. Expect germination in 8 to 10 days.
Special Considerations
Growing Tips: Beets, Radishes, Turnips, Carrots
Beets:
Radishes:
Turnips:
Carrots:
Pests and Problems to Watch For
This annual is grown mainly for its enlarged, crisp-tasting, edible root, but the leaves can also be consumed. The plant is a rosette of leafy greens that grows 6-8 inches tall. The leaves are best when harvested young; cook them or add raw to a mixed salad. The roots are rounded or elongated, the flesh is white, and the skins can be white, red, pink, or bicolored. They should be harvested when 1/2- 11/2 inches diameter and before they become tough and woody. They are at their spiciest when dug in hot weather or just before they go to seed
Superior Germination Through Superior Science
First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.
Superior Standards - University Inspected
Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians
Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.
When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.
The Park Seed Gold Standard
Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).
Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.
Rivoli has been named a 2014 All-America Selection winner, and it's easy to see why. This radish is simply all-around superior, from texture and flavor to disease resistance and holding ability. The 1½-inch-diameter globes are a pure, even watermelon-red, with snowy white interiors. The texture is crunchy and just moist enough, and the flavor is mildly peppery. Pick them young and you won't believe how delicious they are, but even if you wait, Rivoli keeps its good texture and flavor after harvest. You can't go wrong!
And if you've had problems with radishes before, Rivoli offers great disease resistance. Fusarium wilt is no issue for this radish, and mildew is a thing of the past. Don't worry about hot or wet weather ruining your crop!
Rivoli is ready to harvest in just a month, when the tops are less than 10 inches high. These radishes look as good as they taste, and are especially scrumptious when picked young. You're going to fall in love with Rivoli, and your salads, soups, and casseroles will be all the better for it!
Before planting, fertilize the soil and make sure that it is as loose, moist, and rich as possible, since the root needs space to develop and has little time to push its way through heavy soils. Sow the seeds ½-inch deep and 1 inch apart, in rows about a foot apart. Fertilize again about 2 weeks after planting. When the tops are about 2 inches high, thin the plants to 2 inches apart (and use the thinnings in soups and salads!), to give the roots space to swell under the ground.
For continuous crops, sow seeds successively every week from earliest spring until late spring, then again in late summer for fall crops. Radishes cannot withstand heat, so judge when to stop spring sowing based on the climate in your area. They can also be sown in containers and finished in a sunny window in the air-conditioned house in climates where spring is short and warm. Pkt is 100 seeds.
Root crops are popular with both commercial growers and home gardeners because they're versatile, delicious, and in many cases, perfect for canning or over-winter storage. Beets, Radishes, Turnips, and Carrots contain numerous vitamins and nutrients, offer a wide range of flavors and textures, can be enjoyed raw or cooked, and are wonderfully easy to grow!
Choosing Root Crop Varieties
When choosing which Beets or Radishes to grow there are several factors you will want to take into consideration. First of all, both come in a variety of interesting shapes and beautiful colors, so pick whatever appeals to your eye! Also, Radishes offer varying degrees of heat and Beets have flavors that range from earthy to sweet. Smaller Beets are usually the best for canning and pickling, and many people enjoy the nutritious Beet greens as well as the root itself. As far as choosing a type of Carrot to plant, you will be deciding mostly by color and shape.
When to Start Root Crops
Direct sow your root crops in early spring or late summer. They're cool-weather crops, most preferring temperatures of around 70 degrees F in order to germinate. All but Carrots will germinate in a week to ten days. Carrots can take up to 3 weeks.
How to Start Root Crops
Direct sowing is preferable to transplanting because there is less root disturbance. Before sowing, cultivate deeply.
Beets: Soak the seeds in warm water for 24 hours before sowing -- this will aid in germination. Early spring is the typical time to sow your Beets, but in zones 9 to 10 you can sow outdoors in the fall. Sow at a depth of 4 times the size of the seeds, planting successively at 3-week intervals for crops throughout the season. Site in full sun in a loose, rich, well-drained soil. Expect germination in 10 to 15 days and harvests within 50 to 60.
Radishes: Early spring is the typical time to sow your Radishes, but in zones 8 and warmer you can sow outdoors in the fall for a winter crop. Sow at a depth of 4 times the size of the seeds, planting successively at 2-week intervals until mid-spring and then again in late summer. Site in full sun in a loose, rich, sandy, moist, well-drained soil. Expect germination in 6 to 10 days.
Carrots: Early spring is the typical time to sow your Carrots, but in warm climates you can sow outdoors in the fall for a fall crop. Sow at a ¼-inch depth, planting successively at 3-week intervals until early summer. Site in full sun in rich, loose, deeply worked and well-drained soil. Expect germination in 14 to 21 days.
Turnips: Sow in early spring after all danger of frost is past but while the ground is still cool. You can make successive sowings up to 5 weeks before temperatures are above 80 degrees F, then again in late summer if you want a fall harvest. In zones 8 and warmer you can also sow from early fall through spring for continuous crops over the winter. Sow at a depth of 4 times the size of the seeds. Site in full sun in fertile, moist, well-drained soil. Expect germination in 8 to 10 days.
Special Considerations
Growing Tips: Beets, Radishes, Turnips, Carrots
Beets:
Radishes:
Turnips:
Carrots:
Pests and Problems to Watch For
This annual is grown mainly for its enlarged, crisp-tasting, edible root, but the leaves can also be consumed. The plant is a rosette of leafy greens that grows 6-8 inches tall. The leaves are best when harvested young; cook them or add raw to a mixed salad. The roots are rounded or elongated, the flesh is white, and the skins can be white, red, pink, or bicolored. They should be harvested when 1/2- 11/2 inches diameter and before they become tough and woody. They are at their spiciest when dug in hot weather or just before they go to seed
Superior Germination Through Superior Science
First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.
Superior Standards - University Inspected
Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians
Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.
When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.
The Park Seed Gold Standard
Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).
Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.