Harvesting radish seeds is fun, and a great way to save a little money. In this post, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about when and how to collect radish seeds from your garden, step by step!
Collecting radish seeds from your garden is a no brainer. It’s frugal, and you can even trade with your friends for different varieties.
Every year that I grow them, I always make a point of gathering radish seeds. It’s one of my favorite veggie seeds to harvest and save from my garden, and also one of the easiest.
If you have radishes in your vegetable garden this year, you should absolutely try saving the seeds. Below I will show you exactly how to do it for the best success.
Harvesting Radish Seeds From Your Garden
No matter which variety you grew, you can easily harvest radish seeds from your garden.
You will have to forfeit a few radishes in the process, but the tradeoff is worth it for tons of free seeds to plant next year.
Do Radishes Have Seeds?
Yes, radishes have seeds. But, if you pull them so you can eat them, you’ll never see the seeds. That’s because they don’t form on the plant until after the root is no longer edible.
If you’re interested in saving them, you have to sacrifice some of your bounty. This is unfortunate, but think of all the seeds you’ll be able to save for next year.
How Do Radishes Produce Seeds?
In order to produce seeds, radishes must first bolt (i.e.: flower). Once that happens, the root will no longer be edible.
Don’t worry, you will get lots of seeds from one plant, so you don’t need to sacrifice too much of your food in the process.
Related Post: How To Grow Radishes At Home
When Do Radishes Go To Seed
Hot weather triggers bolting. So, they usually go to seed sometime in early to mid summer. It could be sooner or later than that though, depending on where you live.
Where Do Radish Seeds Come From?
Radish seeds come from the seed pod that forms on the plant after the flowers fade. Not long after forming, the pods will turn brown, which makes them hard to miss.
When To Harvest Radish Seeds
Radish seeds are ready to harvest when the pod is brown and completely dried out. To know for sure, give the pods a gentle shake. If you hear rattling inside, that’s a sure sign they’re ready.
Eventually the pods will split open on their own. So be sure to harvest radish seeds before the pods start opening, otherwise they will scatter and be lost.
What Do Radish Seed Pods Look Like
Once the tiny flowers fade, you will notice the pods starting to appear. Radish seed pods look similar to a small bean, and are green when they first form.
Fun fact, you can actually eat the pods when they’re tender and green! However, at that point, the seeds inside are not viable. So, if you want to save them, then you need to leave the pods on longer.
What Do Radish Seeds Look Like
Radish seeds are oval shaped, and slightly larger than a sesame seed. Their color varies depending on the variety, and can be anywhere from tan to dark brown.
How To Harvest Radish Seeds
Collecting radish seeds doesn’t take much time, and you don’t need any special equipment to do it. Here are the few things you’ll need…
Supplies Needed:
- Collection container (plastic bowl, small bucket, paper bag, or a baggie)
- Precision pruning shears
Step 1: Remove the seed pods – Use a sharp precision pruner to clip the seed pods from the plant, Then simply drop them into your baggie, paper bag, or whatever type of container you’re using.
Optional method: If you prefer, you can break open the pods while they are still attached to the plant.
To do this, position your small bucket or bowl so it’s directly under the pod. Then squeeze it to break it open and gather the seeds.
Step 2: Bring them inside – After you’ve harvested all the radish seeds or pods that you want, bring them inside the house to prepare them for storage.
What To Do With Radish Seeds After Collecting
After you’re done harvesting radish seeds from the plants, it’s time to prepare them for storage.
For the best success, you should remove them from the pods, separate the chaff, and thoroughly dry them.
How To Separate Them From The Chaff
It’s important to separate the seeds from the pod and chaff (i.e.: pod pieces, and other debris) before storing them.
If you’ve gathered the whole pods, gently break them apart, and the seeds will fall out.
To clean out the chaff, spread everything out on a flat surface. Pick out the largest pieces of chaff by hand. Then, gently blow on the rest to get rid of the lighter and smaller debris.
How To Dry Them
After harvesting radish seeds, make sure they are completely dry before storing them. If there’s any moisture left at all, the seeds can mold.
To dry them, spread them on a flat surface, and protect from moisture. Then, let them air dry for at least a week, and you’re good to go.
Related Post: How To Freeze Radishes The Right Way
How To Save Radish Seeds For Next Year
You can plant radish seeds as soon as you harvest them, or store them until spring. Use a plastic container or paper bag to stash them.
Other options are to put them into a small envelope to save them, or share them with friends. Learn how to make DIY seed packet envelopes.
Take it one step further and organize your seed packets into pocket sheets, then put them into a 3-ring binder or a storage box.
How Long Do Radish Seeds Last?
When kept in a cool, dark, and dry location, radish seeds can last 5-6 years. So you don’t have to worry about using them right away.
But, to keep the freshest stash possible, I recommend harvesting new radish seeds yearly, and either planting, trading, or discarding the oldest ones.
Harvesting and saving radish seeds from your garden is fun, and super simple. It is so great to be able to use your own collected seeds year after year, without ever having to purchase new ones.
Up next, learn all you need to know about how to grow radishes from seed.
If you’re tired of struggling, and want to learn how to grow any plant you want from seed, then enroll in my online Seed Starting Course. It’s a wonderful, fun, self-paced course that will teach you everything you need to know to easily grow your own seedlings. Enroll and get started today!
Or, if you just need a refresher, then my Starting Seeds Indoors eBook is for you! It’s a quick-start guide that will get you planting seeds in no time.
More Posts About Saving Seeds
Share your tips for collecting and saving radish seeds in the comments below.
Print The Step By Step Instructions
How To Harvest Radish Seeds
Collecting radish seeds doesn't take much time, and you don't need any special equipment to do it. Here are the few things you'll need, and the steps for how to do it.
Materials
- Collection container (small bucket, bowl, or paper bag)
Tools
- Precision pruning shears
Instructions
- Remove the seed pods - Use a sharp precision pruner to clip the seed pods from the plant, and drop them into your container.
-Optional method: If you prefer, you can break open the pods while they are still attached to the plant. To do this, position the container so it's directly under the pod. Then squeeze it to break it open and gather the seeds. - Bring them inside - After you've harvested all the radish seeds or pods that you want, bring them inside the house to prepare them for storage.
Notes
Make sure your radish seeds are completely dry before storing them.
Wolfgang Schmidt, Jr. says
Hi Amy. I love radishes. They are my favorite. Plant them really early in the spring or late in the winter four weeks later you’re eating them. Can’t beat that. I have been propagating seeds from the smaller scraggly radishes that I didn’t pick. I seem to notice that more of their offspring are also small and scraggly with thin Woody radishes. Do you think it would be better to let a few of the very good looking radishes go to seed and harvest those seeds for planting next year?
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yes, it certainly would be better to harvest the seeds from the better looking radishes.
Tom Holland says
I planted radish [ extra-large ones ] between my onions, they all bolted. I didn’t get one radish, they all went to seed. I will save the seeds if their good and try again next year. I will also let them fall and see if they come Tup next year. Tom from Canada
Amy Andrychowicz says
Radishes will bolt as soon as the weather warms up in the summer, so it’s best to plant them in the late winter/early spring. Here are a few articles that will help you get it right next year…
– How To Plant & Grow Radishes From Seed
– How To Grow Radishes At Home
Veronica says
I accidentally cut down some radish plants that had bolted but the seed pods were not quite dry yet. They are green or light yellow. Can I a) leave the pods in a place to dry (even though they are no longer in the ground) and once they have dried, harvest the seeds?
Also, can I b) harvest the seeds while the pods are still green/ not yet dried (which I’ve noticed the seeds inside are also green) and then dry the seeds?
Will either of these methods work or do I have to throw these out and only seed the pods that have dried completely on the vine?
Amy Andrychowicz says
The green radish seeds likely won’t be viable, and the pods don’t really “ripen” off the plant. While you certainly could try to save them as an experiment, you’ll definitely have the best success if you leave them on the plant until they are brown and dried out.
Robert says
I learned a lot in 2020 about radishes. 1 I didn’t know how resilient they were once sprouted. Once they had their three leaves I thinned then out but expanded my radish garden and replanted those I thinned. 2 I didn’t know how wonderful radish flowers were. My hummingbirds loved them, along with the bees. 3 I let a few radishes bolt I bet I have over a thousand dried pods.
See if I can grow some radish sprouts to go with my poached eggs and avacado.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Awesome that you were able to save so many seeds from your radishes, how fun! Yes, the sprouts are delicious, and the perfect way to use all those seeds you collected.
Alien says
I got seeds from radishes and they were great!
Amy Andrychowicz says
Awesome! I love getting free seeds from my radishes! 🙂
Frank Williamson says
I had a long planter of zinnias starting to grow, when some critter possibly a chipmonk dug up half of them. I replaced the lost plants with a few radish seeds and moved the planter to a “safer”location on my front deck. The little white radicsh flowers provided a nice counterpoint to the zinnia and marigolds in the group. Now we have a nice bonus of lots of seed pods. Funny how gardens evolve.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Awesome! What a fun bonus to get all those radish seed pods, I love it! Thanks for sharing your story. 🙂
Ian says
Radish pods are tasty like peas, and the leaves don’t taste much different to me before vs. after bloom (I use them for soup). So not all is lost if you let them bolt!
Amy Andrychowicz says
Great point! Now there are two reasons to let radishes bolt, LOL!
WaveyDavey says
Awesome post. My radishes were grown in 2 pots on our balcony in Amsterdam. They were supposed to take 8 weeks to be ready. I see your post says ready in 4 weeks. I guess mine were ready at that point. I left them but by 8 weeks they were already flowering! Now I have hundreds of seed pods growing. I managed to get some radish to eat before they’d flowered but majority went to flower and about 5 feet tall !!! Can you tell me how long the seed pods take to dry on the plant ? Then i can get those in and clear up my balcony and make my partner happier !!
Amy Andrychowicz says
Once they start to form, it should take about 4-6 weeks for the radish seed pods to dry.
Petula says
First time ever planting radish and I was surprise to see how quickly they are ready to harvest! They are delicious and your post is awesome, explanatory and the pictures a fantastic help! I am definitely collecting seeds this year!
Amy Andrychowicz says
Awesome, glad you like the post! It’s so easy to collect radish seeds and grow them again year after year. It’s a bummer to have to sacrifice a little bit of the harvest, but you do get a lot of seeds from one plant. 🙂
RandomGardener says
Indeed, it is quite easy to save seeds from Radish plants. I haven't done it myself, mostly because I'm never quite sure what variety I'd be saving. I usually sow varieties of white colored ones 🙂
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yes, they are very easy to collect and save. I don’t get too worried about what variety of radish seeds I’m harvesting, all of them taste delicious to me, LOL!. 🙂