Radishes
Radishes (Raphanus sativus), originally from Southeast Asia, are lightning-fast bucket crops—some varieties mature in as little as three weeks! Their small, rounded roots meet bucket constraints perfectly, and when grown in loose, sandy soil, they develop crisp, peppery roots rather than becoming splayed or stunted. I sow radish seeds in early spring and then again in late summer; each sowing yields multiple harvests before foliage becomes too lush and flowers appear. Their quick turnaround makes radishes a delightful intercropping option between slower-growing vegetables in adjacent buckets.
While cultivated radishes themselves are rarely invasive, they can self-seed if flowers are allowed to go to seed. In buckets, you can nip those flower stalks early or pull whole plants once you’ve harvested roots to prevent escapees. Radish flowers—white or pinkish—attract tiny hoverflies and solitary bees, which might nest in the soil beneath the bucket edges. These pollinators then help cover crops like mustard or broccoli florets nearby. However, keep an eye out for flea beetles, which love to feast on young radish leaves. Interplanting a few radish seeds at bucket corners often distracts flea beetles from other crops, offering a natural “trap crop” function that pleases me immensely when I watch those tiny black beetles cluster on radish leaves instead of chewing on my kale.