this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2025
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Nature and Gardening

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[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/radish/radish-does-not-form-bulbs.htm

A few culprits seem to be: not enough sunlight, soil too compact, too much nitrogen in soil, overcrowded planting. I'd almost bet it's the nitrogen as those leaves seem very nice.

You can sautee the leaves by the way lol they're a bit stringy but not bad if you want to use the whole thing! Same goes for carrots, you can eat the greens of those as well but they're also stringy.

[–] Geodad@beehaw.org 4 points 1 week ago

It could be nitrogen and overcrowding.

I may need to thin them out and maybe plant something else that will suck up the nitrogen.

[–] memfree@beehaw.org 3 points 1 week ago

Hey, that's what MY radishes look like. Used to look like. I stopped planting them because of these results. I had great broccoli, tomatoes, dill and basil, but scrawny leeks and bulbless radishes (I know that it isn't a bulb, but the roots should have a bulbous shape and they didn't).

[–] Pulptastic@midwest.social 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

https://greenupside.com/why-are-my-radishes-long-and-thin/

I have the opposite problem. I get so many radishes we can never eat them all or give them away.

[–] Geodad@beehaw.org 3 points 1 week ago

Yeah, I really think crowding might be my issue.

[–] BlueLineBae@midwest.social 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Is this happening to just your radishes, or is it happening to other root vegetables too? I have never grown radishes but I have had this issue with beets and carrots and found out the hard way that a lot of newer subdivisions will scoop off most of the top soil and only leave a little bit before you hit clay. The lack of soil prevents things like root vegetables from growing larger. If you know that's not an issue, then it's probably something else.

[–] Geodad@beehaw.org 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I have them in a pot about 15" deep with soil. I planted them in the top 0.25".

[–] BlueLineBae@midwest.social 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Well then it sounds like that's not it. Could maybe also be a nutrient issue. Some of the larger vegetables tend not to grow as big when there's a lack of specific nutrients like calcium. But again, I've never grown radishes so I don't exactly know what they need.

[–] Geodad@beehaw.org 3 points 1 week ago

They maybe overcrowded.

[–] FriedRice@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It might be the soil that is to hard and compact.

[–] Geodad@beehaw.org 1 points 1 week ago

I think they maybe crowded, based on other answers here.

[–] Guenther_Amanita@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] Geodad@beehaw.org 1 points 1 week ago

No, just not forming bulbs. Mostly making greens.