Red Rat's Tail Radish Heirloom Seeds

Discover a different kind of radish harvest: crisp, slender pods with a gently spicy bite. Red Rat's Tail is grown for its edible seed pods rather than swollen roots. Pick them young for fresh salads, quick pickles, or a last-minute addition to stir-fries. Green and reddish-purple pods follow delicate pink flowers, bringing an unexpected harvest to your vegetable garden.

Why Grow Red Rat's Tail?

• A radish you pick above ground: Enjoy tender pods instead of digging for round roots.
• Crisp texture and peppery flavor: Use whole young pods as a garnish or slice them into salads and cooked dishes.
• Colorful branching plants: Upright stems carry pink flowers and pods in shades of green and reddish purple.
• Heirloom and open-pollinated: An unusual choice for gardeners who enjoy exploring traditional vegetables.

Planting and Growing

Direct sow in spring once the soil can be worked, or time a late-summer sowing for a suitable fall growing season. Choose full sun and moist, fertile, well-drained soil. Sow approximately 1/2 inch deep, keep evenly moist, and expect germination in roughly 4–10 days under suitable conditions.

TLM recommends thinning to 4–6 inches apart, but allow room for mature plants to branch and for access when picking. For a small raised bed, start with 1 plant per sq ft (allow branches room beyond the square) and adjust to plant vigor. These are not compact root radishes: plants may reach about 3–4 feet tall and 1–2 feet wide. Add stakes or a simple support, anchored beside the plants, if stems become floppy.

Water consistently without leaving soil waterlogged. Watch for flea beetles, slugs, and other brassica pests. Let plants flower: the pods form after flowering, so bolting is part of this crop's harvest cycle. Local weather affects growth, flavor, and picking time.

Harvest Details

Maturity: Approximately 50 days from sowing to the first edible pods under favorable conditions.
Harvested part: Young, tender seed pods, not the swollen root of a conventional radish.
Pod size and color: Generally 3–6 inches long, green to reddish purple.
Flavor and texture: Crisp and mildly spicy when young; texture and pungency change with age.
Growth habit: Upright, branching annual, approximately 36–48 inches tall.
Best uses: Fresh salads, garnishes, quick pickles, and stir-fries.
Botanical name: Raphanus sativus.
Seed type: Heirloom, open-pollinated.

Begin picking while pods are slender and snap tenderly. Tenderness matters more than maximum length: older pods become fibrous as seeds mature. Snip pods with clean scissors if they do not detach easily, and check plants regularly as new pods develop. Wash before eating.

Packed and shipped by Box Garden Seeds LLC — heirloom seeds grown without GMOs, selected for your garden.