Ridiculous Radish!

Prior to this summer, I had never saved seeds from a radish. But after a successful and tasty radish growing season this spring, I decided to leave a few unharvested and let them go to seed. It didn't take long before the Blanche Transparente radishes I grew in a large ceramic pot sent their seed stalks skyward.

And I'll be honest, it seemed like a Jack and the Beanstalk experience. The radishes kept growing larger and fatter and the seed stalks kept growing higher and higher. Between March 28 and June 28 the radishes morphed into massive monsters. Have a look at these photos.

5-inch long Blanche Transparente radishes harvested on March 28, 2012.

5-foot long Blanche Transparente radish and seed stalk pulled on June 28, 2012.

Yes, you read that correctly. This particular radish was over 5-feet long from root to seed pods. Here's a close-up of the root next to the pitchfork.

This radish root is longer than the business end of my pitchfork!

Last but not least, here's a photo of me holding the root. Despite its ridiculous, elephant-trunk-like shape, it was actually fairly light for its size.

Massive Blanche Transparente radish harvested from a ceramic pot.

I cut the seed stalks from each root and left the seed pods intact. They are now tied together and hanging from a rafter in my garden shed to dry out completely before I collect all the seeds.

Ridiculous radish indeed!