Why Are My Radishes Long And Thin?

Was the outside temperature warmer than 80 °F?

Have your radishes been overcrowded?

Is your garden soil compact and often waterlogged?

Have you been fertilizing your radishes with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer, or were the radishes planted in crop rotation after some legume plant?

Radishes are a cool-weather crop and will bolt in hot weather. The optimal temperature for growing radishes is 50 to 65 °F. When temperatures reach 80 °F, you can expect the plants to focus on forming flowers rather than roots.

If overcrowded, radishes will bolt due to competition with other plants for nutrients and water. Also, when radishes are planted too close together, the roots physically have nowhere to go. Since they cannot grow wider, they instead grow longer, going deeper into the soil in search of nutrients and water.

Radishes prefer to grow in loose, sandy soil. This means that the soil should be smooth, with no rocks, roots, or dirt clumps that can obstruct radishes from growing properly. In areas with rainy springs, boggy, heavy soil will waterlog the plants and cause them to stop producing bulbs and concentrate on leafy tops.

Too much nitrogen can encourage radishes (and other plants) to focus on green growth (leaves above ground) instead of root growth (the part of the radish we want to grow and eat). When fertilizing radishes, it is better to use phosphorus-rich fertilizer, than nitrogen-rich one. Additionally, if you are growing crops in rotation, plant some leafy plant after legumes, as the soil is then rich in nitrogen.

If your radishes are planted in a shady spot, they will not produce good bulbs. This can happen if nearby trees or other tall garden crops are growing lush foliage, which will block sunlight from the radish plants. Radishes like full sun and need a minimum of 6 hours of light to produce adequate bulbs.