[Anke]

I every so often binge-watch Huw Richards on youtube.... he mentioned in one of his videos that he likes to keep some of his radishes on to flowering/seed setting and eats the seed pods - I was intrigued and left some of my radishes to go to flower.... and I have to say the seed pods taste amazing - small but nice, crunchy and quite spicy. Only problem is... very few of the plants set seed, despite loads of flowers... my question is: Does anyone do this with their radishes and if yes, have you found a particular good seed-setting variety to grow? Are early ones better than mid-summer sown ones (as were mine). I am keen to grow enough for a funky ferment next year...

[Terry T]

It may be that you had poor seed set as a result of pollen beetles eating the pollen rather than radish variety - we certainly have problems setting  seed from rocket in mid summer for this reason. Try sowing at different times to see if this can help.

[Anke]

Yes, I will do a more structured experiment next year, lack of pollinating insects (or eating of the pollen) may well be an issue....

[Q]

@Anke I have some radishes at this stage - are you eating the green pods or waiting till they go brown?

[Fleecewife]

Thomson&Morgan used to sell a variety specifically for eating the pods, which were larger than normal radish seed pods.  I think it might have been called Munchen Bier (apologies for the lack of an umlaut - I don't know how to make my keyboard spit one out)  I didn't find them any superior to normal radish pods.  I let a patch go to seed this year too, but only a couple of plants actually set seed at all, so I let them mature and sprinkle themselves around - my idea of perennials 

[Anke]

@Anke I have some radishes at this stage - are you eating the green pods or waiting till they go brown?

No, you eat them green. Just a wee snack here, not many have set seeds, though the bees and other insects are very busy in there just now.

[Anke]

Thomson&Morgan used to sell a variety specifically for eating the pods, which were larger than normal radish seed pods.  I think it might have been called Munchen Bier (apologies for the lack of an umlaut - I don't know how to make my keyboard spit one out)  I didn't find them any superior to normal radish pods.  I let a patch go to seed this year too, but only a couple of plants actually set seed at all, so I let them mature and sprinkle themselves around - my idea of perennials 

Thanks, I have checked München Bier out, will give them a try next spring. (German keyboard has "Umlauts" on its main set of keys....)

[naturelovingfarmer]

Mustard seed pods are more prolific and self fertile. I've been eating them for years. Honestly thought nobody else did that.

[Q]

@Anke I have some radishes at this stage - are you eating the green pods or waiting till they go brown?

No, you eat them green. Just a wee snack here, not many have set seeds, though the bees and other insects are very busy in there just now.

That reminded me.. - I followed your advice last year and ate many many severals of them - I also enjoyed myself introducing between 6 and 10 other people to the experience.
It was amusing to  look at the doubt on their face about eating them until I did.
Most of them enjoyed it but I doubt if any of them will remember for this year though.

[Anke]

@Anke I have some radishes at this stage - are you eating the green pods or waiting till they go brown?

No, you eat them green. Just a wee snack here, not many have set seeds, though the bees and other insects are very busy in there just now.

Well I didn't get any München Bier seeds either.... and lost my first batch of my usual radishes to the snow in April... I will leave a few of the next batch to go to flower and hopefully have some seed pods again, however the rest of the family is not enamoured with them, and fermenting them wasn't my cup of tea either.... so a few for snacking on will be enough I think.
That reminded me.. - I followed your advice last year and ate many many severals of them - I also enjoyed myself introducing between 6 and 10 other people to the experience.
It was amusing to  look at the doubt on their face about eating them until I did.
Most of them enjoyed it but I doubt if any of them will remember for this year though.