Well, I can definitely recommend Tokinashi radish (white footlong radish, leaves look like 7top turnip greens radiating from the crown top). Since early this morning, one of mine (seed started c. first week of March, transplanted midlate March) decided to send up the beginning of a seed stalk, so I pulled the whole thing up, feeling rather like the people and animals all pulling together to pull up the enormous turnip in that kid's picture book.
Younger part of the radish root is milder; longer growing part a bit hotter. Not bitter.
Nicely productive plant, since the greens are also edible steamed or stirfried, and I'd already had several previous servings of the greens which grew back rapidly from the crown.
The Tokinashi are in a narrow rectangular patch, not basin, with walking Egyptian red onions, sweet potato, and a volunteered hollyhock. That patch gets watered once or twice a week, mostly for the sweet potato.
Now to find some recipes to use up more of the radish root! Maybe pickled? Or grated for stirfried rice? Suggestions, anyone?
Midhigh desert vegetables
Sis, the mashed sounds easy and good; I might try it tonight. So far I've just used the top leaves in stirfry, with pinto beans, and with fried potatoes, and peeled 1/3" slices of the root raw for crunchy munchy. Seems as though the root must be low calorie like jicama or water chestnut or sunchoke, but it's nice and crisp like them. Might try some of the raw root shredded with vinegar or lemon or lime juice.
My cucumbers are just blossoming, no edible fruit yet, but I'm waiting impatiently. Had to use taller branches/poles today for the tomato/Chinese cucumber trellises as they've decided to outgrow last week's lower poles.
By the way, the seed packet said 45 days for the white radish; it took mine c. 90 days. Story of my garden so far--most stuff takes twice as long here to grow half as high, but at least this crop reached full production rate or root length. (Is this common for midhigh desert elevation?)
Scoreboard so far for Asian vegetables in midhighdesert:
Tokinashi radish--definite yes! Finishing harvesting first crop, and putting more baby transplants in.
Dau gawk--finally doing growth spurt and beginning blossoming.
Chinese turnip: do not plant ever again under the dratted elm trees; will try next transplants elsewhere.
Bok choy: small but producing finally by rose bushes next to trailer in space that averages 3-4 hours shade daily this time of year.
Chinese cucumber: yes yes yes, to quote Molly Bloom. Many blossoms, currently one 6-10" cucumber per plant happily clinging to stick and string trellis. I'm putting more new baby transplants in another spot where there's a bit of space for another little trellis.
Asian water spinach: ready to be transplanted from little cups.
Red shiso: coming up, not ready to transplant.
Looseleaf Chinese cabbage: good germination rate (average of 18 out of 20 seeds) from last year's overwintered under plastic plants. Transplanted first flat in between potatoes in one plot. May have overdone the planting a week and a half apart of two more little flats not yet ready for transplanting--hope the folks at the senior center like Chinese cabbage!
Golden Mandarin tomato: in with other types of tomatoes, stick and string trellis; it and white Bianca are the first ones to fruit.
Thai bird peppers: coming up athunder in hot weather, and maybe ready to transplant this weekend.
Results not in: snow peas planted in spring are coming up Now--huh? what gives? but I do like their purple flowers almost as much as the snow pea pods; edible chrysanthemum seems slow to start; water spinach ready to transplant soon and thank goodness not wilting in the heat so far; rattail radish (for edible pods) a jumpstart germinator, less than five days old and looking ready to transplant this weekend or early next week.
Source of most of the Asian vegetable seeds (except dau gawk and Thai pepper and Rattail Radish and snow peas): www.yongf.freeservers.com, $1 US for three packets, $2 US for ten packets, $3 US for 15 packets. I may try some more of his Asian vegetable varieties now that I have my Joy Larkcom Oriental Vegetables book to supplement Geri Harrington's Grow Your Own Chinese Vegetables.
Has anyone grown bitter melon? I used to see it a lot in the SF downtown Civic Center Farmer's Market, and am tempted to try it and luffa next year.
Updating the update:
Cucumbers (both Chinese and Straight Eight) producing the past two weeks; first dau gauk production (Tennessee Green Pod Bush produced earlier, but I apparently get much more of a crop from the dau gawk), Italian pole beans have lots of little purple flowers, and there's a new crop of little baby lizards running around the garden, under rocks, and up the trees and poles. Tomatoes are ripening; grape leaves are almost big enough for dolmenides.... tomatillos blossoming mightily but no signs of fruit yet.
Has anyone grown sesame here? My first seedling got eaten by something; I just transplanted the second one which is larger and lusher though I think it is too late in season to expect it to produce before hard frost.
How are everyone else's xeriscape vegetable gardens?
Another question: do banana peppers and Thai peppers overwinter indoors and survive that way for the next outdoor garden year? If so, I'll dig some up and bring them in before hard frost date.
Hi Tashak,
You MUST be closer to high than mid high aren't you? I'm considered hi desert for CA at 2500 ft but I'm zone 8a and can't have most of the stuff you're growing during the summer.
Radishes, peas and all greens except chard are winter vegies for me. Have you tried Black Spanish radish? that's a spicy winter type. the radishes get as big as softballs without getting woody. Great for pickling and making mock horseradish sauces.
I had some seeds of Kailaan land in the opening in the concrete on my enclosed patio. They sprouted and were the best greens yet since we were REAL hungry for them in August. Kailaan is a chinese bokchoy type green. Pale green leaves with a wide white edible rib. Since the patio is enclosed with screen, the cabbage moths couldn't get to it and voila' non munched greens in summer. Next year I will definitly put some in pots on the patio!!
Take care
Chris