What is the fastest vegetable to grow?

Radishes – the 18 Days variety is ready in just 18–20 days under optimal conditions (18–21 °C, evenly moist). No other vegetable is faster.

Which beetroot is best for borscht?

Round, sweet varieties like Bona for the classic soup pot, the cylindrical Cylindra for even slices and preserving. Both keep their intense colour when cooked.

What soil do carrots need?

Deeply loosened, stone-free and without fresh manure – only then do the roots grow straight instead of forked. Soil fertilised too freshly leads to split carrots.

Which cabbage is best for sauerkraut?

White Cabbage Brunswick – the firm, sugar-rich variety gives lactic fermentation exactly what it needs for aromatic sauerkraut.

When do you sow Chinese cabbage without it bolting?

Best as an autumn crop from June to early August. In the long days of early summer, Chinese cabbage tends to bolt (flower). The Emiko H variety is also resistant to clubroot.

Which of the varieties are open-pollinated?

Seven of eight: both carrots, both radishes, both beetroot and the White Cabbage Brunswick. Only Chinese Cabbage Emiko H is an F1 hybrid, in return with clubroot resistance.

Root & Brassica Guide: Carrots, Radishes, Beetroot & Cabbage – 8 Varieties, Growing & Storage

Q: Why do my radishes turn pithy and hot?

Usually due to drought and heat. Even watering and prompt harvesting keep the roots mild and crunchy. The Lada variety naturally stays tender for longer.

Q: How do you store carrots and beetroot over the winter?

Classically in sand boxes in a cool cellar (0–4 °C) or in a clamp. That way they keep until spring without losing flavour. Only store undamaged, healthy specimens.

Root and brassica vegetables are the backbone of the Eastern European garden: they fill the plate in summer and the cellar in winter. From lightning-fast radishes ready in just 18 days to the white cabbage that survives the whole winter as sauerkraut – these eight varieties are staples in the best sense. This guide shows you which suits you, when to sow and how to store them into spring.

Which Variety Is Right for Me? The Quick Answer

For the impatient: Radish 18 Days – ready in under 3 weeks
For beginners: Radish Lada or Carrot Nantes 5 – uncomplicated
For the winter store: Carrot Korala, Beetroot Bona, White Cabbage Brunswick
For borscht: Beetroot Bona & Cylindra, carrot, white cabbage
For sauerkraut: White Cabbage Brunswick – high sugar content
For kimchi & wok: Chinese Cabbage Emiko H
For juice & raw: Carrot Korala – especially sweet
Almost all are open-pollinated – only Chinese Cabbage Emiko H is a hybrid

Carrots: Sweet, Crunchy, Storable

1. Carrot Nantes 5 – the Tender Classic

Carrot Nantes 5 – cylindrical, blunt orange carrots

The carrot type all others have been measured against for over 150 years: cylindrical, smooth roots with a blunt tip and a core coloured right through, almost coreless. Nantes 5 is tender and sweet, a treat young as a bunching carrot and a solid storage carrot when fully grown.

Who is it for? Beginners and anyone who loves the classic carrot flavour. Open-pollinated. Key facts: approx. 90–100 days · tender & sweet · almost coreless · summer and storage harvest

2. Carrot Korala – the Sweet Storage Carrot

Carrot Korala – long, deep orange storage carrots

The late variety for winter: Korala has a particularly high sugar and carotene content – freshly pressed juice from it is strikingly sweet and intense. It stores all winter in sand boxes or a clamp without losing flavour.

Who is it for? Self-sufficient gardeners, juice lovers, anyone with a storage cellar. Open-pollinated. Key facts: late variety · very sweet · ideal for juice & winter storage · 18–22 cm

Radishes: the Fastest Harvest in the Garden

3. Radish 18 Days – Nothing Is Faster

Radish 18 Days – red cylindrical radishes with a white tip

No vegetable is faster: under optimal conditions only 18–20 days pass from sowing to harvest. This legendary French variety forms crunchy, cylindrical roots, red with a white tip – mild and pleasantly spicy. Ideal for impatient gardeners and children.

Who is it for? Beginners, children, balcony gardeners, all the impatient. Open-pollinated. Key facts: ready in 18–20 days · red-white · mild · bed, box, raised bed

4. Radish Lada – Mild and Tender for Longer

Radish Lada – round red radishes

Ready in 33–37 days and with one decisive advantage: Lada stays tender for a long time and does not turn pithy so quickly – so you can take one to two weeks over the harvest. Pleasantly mild, popular with children, and in the greenhouse one of the first harvests of the year.

Who is it for? Anyone who cannot check the bed every day. Open-pollinated. Key facts: 33–37 days · stays tender long · mild · greenhouse & open field

Beetroot: the Heart of Borscht

5. Beetroot Bona – Round, Sweet, Ring-Free

Beetroot Bona – round dark red roots

The flesh is dark red throughout, completely free of pale rings – and keeps its intense colour when cooked. Bona comes from a premium batch with 99 % purity and tested germination. Perfect for roasting, borscht, pickling and the winter cellar.

Who is it for? Borscht cooks, preserving fans, the quality-conscious. Open-pollinated. Key facts: round · ring-free · colour-stable · excellent keeper

6. Beetroot Cylindra – the Practical Cylindrical One

Beetroot Cylindra – cylindrical dark red roots

Its cylindrical shape (15–20 cm) gives perfectly even slices with less waste – and more yield per bed area than round varieties. Part of the root grows above ground, making harvesting easier (pull instead of dig). The young leaves are edible too.

Who is it for? Anyone who preserves a lot and wants even slices. Open-pollinated. Key facts: cylindrical · even slices · high area yield · storable

Cabbage: From Sauerkraut to Kimchi

7. White Cabbage Brunswick – the Sauerkraut Classic

White Cabbage Brunswick – large firm pale green heads

The Brunswick heirloom with large, firm heads (2.5–3.5 kg) is the classic sauerkraut cabbage par excellence. Its above-average sugar content gives lactic fermentation exactly what it needs. Equally wonderful in borscht or as a mild cabbage roll.

Who is it for? Sauerkraut fans, borscht cooks, self-sufficient gardeners. Open-pollinated. Key facts: 2.5–3.5 kg · high sugar content · ideal for sauerkraut · 120–130 days

8. Chinese Cabbage Emiko H – the Fast Multi-Talent

Chinese Cabbage Emiko H – elongated pale green heads

Ready after only about 65 days and resistant to clubroot and rot – Emiko H even succeeds where the soil fungus has already struck. Crunchy in salads, classic for kimchi, flash-fried in the wok or as a mild cabbage roll. The autumn crop keeps for months stored cool.

Who is it for? Kimchi fans, wok cooks, anyone with clubroot in the soil. Key facts: F1 hybrid · only ~65 days · clubroot-resistant · spring to autumn

Growing Root & Brassica Vegetables: the Essentials

When do you sow what?

Radishes from March to September, in succession every 2 weeks for a continuous supply. Carrots and beetroot from April directly into the bed; beetroot for storage until June. White cabbage started indoors from March and planted out by the end of May. Chinese cabbage from April to early August – especially reliable as an autumn crop, as it tends to bolt in long days.

What soil do carrots and beetroot need?

Deeply loosened, stone-free and without fresh manure – only then do carrots grow straight instead of forked. An important note on beetroot: its seeds are clusters containing several embryos, so the seedlings must be thinned or they hinder each other.

Why do radishes turn pithy and hot?

The most common cause is drought and heat. Even watering and prompt harvesting keep the roots mild and crunchy. The Lada variety naturally stays tender for longer – ideal if you cannot harvest daily.

How do you store root vegetables over the winter?

Carrots and beetroot classically in sand boxes in a cool cellar (0–4 °C) or in a clamp – that way they keep until spring without losing flavour. Store white cabbage cool and airy or process it directly into sauerkraut. Important: only store undamaged, healthy specimens.

Open-pollinated or hybrid?

Seven of the eight varieties are open-pollinated – only Chinese Cabbage Emiko H is an F1 hybrid (in return with clubroot resistance). With carrots, beetroot and cabbage, however, saving your own seed is demanding, as they are biennial and only flower in the second year. With radishes it succeeds easily.

💡 Bed schedule for the root & cabbage year: March – start white cabbage indoors, sow first radishes & carrots · April–June – sow beetroot, resow radishes in succession · May – plant out cabbage · August – sow Chinese cabbage for autumn · October – harvest, store, sauerkraut & borscht.

Our Conclusion: From Bed to Winter Cellar

Root and brassica vegetables are the most reliable self-suppliers of all: fast (radishes), versatile (carrots) and storable for months (beetroot, cabbage). Our tip: combine a fast crop (radishes) with a storage crop (carrot, beetroot, cabbage) – that way you harvest from spring deep into winter.

🥕 All varieties at a glance: Carrot Nantes 5 · Carrot Korala · Radish 18 Days · Radish Lada · Beetroot Bona · Beetroot Cylindra · White Cabbage Brunswick · Chinese Cabbage Emiko H – all in our shop and in the product cards below.