Harvesting radishes on the first day of winter

I picked the last of my radishes today — the first day of winter.

Even though we saw some nighttime temperatures dip into the teens, we’ve had a mild fall season overall.  The radishes seemed to do quite well under those conditions. They grew slowly but did manage to reach harvest size.

These radishes are about one inch in diameter, big enough to harvest and eat. I ended up with five bunches.

Earlier this fall I planted them as an afterthought and forgot all about them until now. The bed they were growing in is not covered or mulched and  is directly exposed to the weather.

Sometimes it pays to spend some extra time in the fall to sow  leftover, cool-season seeds. Most years, nothing finishes growing before it gets frozen.  But in years when you do get a crop, it really is a pleasant surprise.