I decided to announce our 2025 Garden Challenges a few weeks early this year.
For my 2025 Garden Challenges, I decided to stick to ONE crop. Heirloom Radishes
Maybe you like radishes, maybe you love radishes, maybe you're not sure about radishes. Either way, this garden challenge is for YOU!
For the last few years, I have offered various garden challenges with different garden veggies including tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, pumpkin, sunflowers and even cucumber.
This year, I chose a crop that everyone can grow. Whether you have a small garden or a farm, whether you grow in containers or in ground, you can definitely try your hand at growing radishes.
UPDATE: How are we measuring?
"Longest" radish is from the top of the root to the bottom. Does not include the greens.
"Largest" is the weight of the actual root. Does not include the greens.
Here are a few recommendations for LONG and LARGE radish varieties:
Japanese Winowase Daikon Radish can grow 6-20 inches long. Longer if you are letting it grow for the challenge
Red Daikon Radish grows 5-8 inches long. Longer if you are growing for the challenges
Long Scarlet Cincinnati Radish can easily grow to 6-7 inches.
My Long Scarlet Cincinnati grew to 13 inches long!
Sakurajima Mammoth Radish usually reaches about 15 pounds and can be harvested when 10 inches in diameter. However, it can possibly grow a radish up to 100 pounds. That's not a typo. Let's grow a HUGE RADISH!
Would you like to join us?
Here's how it works. This is going to be a fun contest with prizes during and at the end of the challenge.
-Seeds must be purchased from Mary's Heirloom Seeds
-Seeds must be grown in 2025 since the contest ends in June 2025
-Please register with us as soon as possible via email to mary@marysheirloomseeds.com with the subject "2025 Garden Challenge"
-There will be a check-in posted once a month at Mary's Heirloom Seeds if you would like to comment and share your "growth" throughout the challenge.
-Final check-in is June 30, 2025 but you can send in your entry as soon as you are ready.
-This challenge is open to residents of the US and Canada
-Take pictures! We love to see your gardens and this is a great way to share your progress
-Have fun!
What can you win?
Every month, I will post a check-in at Mostly Feral Gardeners on facebook. That's my group of no-drama gardeners.
The monthly fb check-in and seed giveaway opportunity will be posted on my main page Mary's Heirloom Seeds on FB. I will use an app to pull a few random winners from the post each month.
**You do not need to check in on fb to win the final prizes.**
The final check-in will be posted to MARY'S BLOG at Mary's Heirloom Seeds with instructions. You will need to email mary@marysheirloom seeds for the final check-in on June 30, 2025
The top 3 entrants for LONGEST and LARGEST will each receive a $25 gift certificate.
Each month, I will give out 3 $10 gift certificates.
BONUS, just for entering and then doing the final check-in, I will pick 5 entrants at random for $25 gift certificates.
That's 18 - $10 gift certificates and 11- $25 gift certificates!!!
All you have to do is grow along with us. Are you ready?
