Freighter View Farms

As September settles in and the summer garden continues to thrive, I find myself looking back to those early days of spring. There’s a special kind of satisfaction that comes from planting in the cool, crisp air of April—before the heat sets in, before the rush of summer vegetables demands your full attention. This year, it was the radishes that marked the start of the season for me, a small but mighty crop that brought me endless joy as I watched them grow.

Here on the edge of Saginaw Bay, the garden is a reflection of the changing seasons. In April, with the soil still cool beneath my hands, I planted my first seeds of the year: a mix of French Breakfast and Cherry Belle radishes, along with lettuce, peas, onions, and brassicas. But the radishes were the stars of the show, and I decided to make the most of the small space I had available.

Using the square foot gardening method, I planted hundreds of radishes in a single 2ft x 2ft raised bed. I divided the bed into four sections, each one just a foot square, and carefully created 16 planting spots in each square foot. In each of those spots, I tucked four radish seeds into the soil, making the most of every inch of space. It felt good, knowing that in such a small area, I could grow so much.

The Joy of Early Planting

There’s a certain kind of magic in planting early. The sun is just beginning to warm the earth, and the mornings are cool enough that I’d take my cup of coffee with me as I walked through the garden, watching over those first seeds. Every morning was a small ritual—checking the temperature, hoping it wouldn’t drop too low overnight, and peeking at the soil, waiting for the first green shoots to emerge.

And soon enough, they did. By mid-April, the radishes began to push through the surface, delicate green leaves unfurling in the cool spring air. The French Breakfast radishes were the first to show, their slender roots growing quickly beneath the soil. Not far behind were the Cherry Belles, their bright red tops just beginning to peek out. The sight of those tiny plants was a promise—a reminder that even in the early days of spring, the garden was already giving back.

Maximizing Space, Maximizing Yield

This year, I wanted to see just how much I could grow in a small space. That 2ft x 2ft raised bed might seem tiny, but by using square foot gardening, I was able to plant hundreds of radishes—each one with its own little spot to grow. Planting 16 holes per square foot, with 4 seeds in each hole, allowed me to maximize every inch of the bed. It was a lesson in efficiency—how even the smallest garden can yield an abundant harvest if you plan it right.

Watching the radishes grow was like watching a small miracle unfold. Day by day, I could see them filling out, their roots swelling beneath the soil. And as they grew, the other cool-weather crops were coming to life too—the peas winding their way up their trellises, the lettuce forming tender heads, and the onions standing tall. But it was always the radishes that grew fastest, their quick turnaround making them the first real harvest of the season.

The Taste of Spring

By mid-May, the radishes were ready to pull. I remember that first morning, stepping into the garden and gently tugging the first French Breakfast radish from the soil. It was slender and elegant, its pink and white root firm and full of promise. I sliced it in half right there in the garden and took a bite—cool, crisp, with just the slightest hint of spice. It tasted like spring, fresh and clean, a perfect reward for those early mornings spent watching over the garden.

The Cherry Belles were just as delightful. Their bright red skins shone in the sunlight, and their round, plump roots were full of flavor—slightly peppery but still mild enough to enjoy raw, sliced into a salad, or even eaten straight from the garden. There’s something special about radishes harvested in the cool of spring. They’re tender, without the harsh bite that sometimes comes later in the season, when the temperatures rise.

Making Space for Summer

By the time May came to a close, the radishes had given me their best, and it was time to make room for the summer crops. The garden was warming up, the days growing longer, and it felt like a natural progression—from the cool-weather radishes to the heat-loving tomatoes, peppers, and squash that would take their place. Clearing out the radish bed was bittersweet, but I knew that in their place, the summer garden would soon take root.

Looking back, it’s those radishes that stand out most from the spring garden. Not because they were the largest crop or the most dramatic, but because they were the first—the first to grow, the first to harvest, and the first to remind me why I love gardening in the early season. They were a quiet, steady reminder that even in the smallest of spaces, with a little planning and care, you can grow something extraordinary.

The Quiet Satisfaction of Early Gardening

There’s a certain peace in early-season gardening. The cool mornings, the quiet moments spent checking the garden, the slow anticipation of watching those first seeds take root. If you’ve never tried planting radishes early, I’d encourage you to give it a try next spring. There’s something truly rewarding about watching them grow, knowing that in just a few short weeks, you’ll have a fresh, crisp harvest in your hands.

As I sit here now, watching the garden as it transitions into fall, I already find myself looking forward to next spring. I’ll plant those same French Breakfast and Cherry Belle radishes again, using every inch of space in that small raised bed. Because there’s nothing quite like the joy of an early-season radish—and nothing quite like the feeling of knowing that, even in the quiet days of spring, the garden is always full of life.