Harvest time from planting or germination?

[ramama]

That's it pretty much. I have radishes that are supposed to be a 25 day harvest. I planted on 5/12 and they sprouted on 5/18. Do I measure the 25 day harvest from when they went in the ground, or came up? Elementary question, I know!

The reason I ask is because I discovered two too close together a couple days ago, so pulled one out and it showed no signs of a bulb yet. Seems like there should be some indication of a bulb this close to what I assumed would be harvest time.

[mindymom]

ramama i'm not positive, but i think those times are measured from planting to when the first fruit matures, assuming that the plant spends its whole life in one spot. transplanting always sets a plant back, but it's hard to say how much because it depends on the circumstances.
fwiw, i think it's normal for radishes to fail to bulb if they're too close together. the rest of them may be developing faster.

[garden-gal]

Due to the variables involved in gardening, harvesting doesn't really have a set time, meaning from planting to harvest. The planting to harvest dates are really more of a guideline. You should actually harvest them when they are truly ready to be harvested, by your liking. Most people develop their preferences about when to harvest through experience. Kind of like, "would you like your steak rare or well done?" Or how a farmer knows when his wheat is actually ready to be harvested. The younger most vegetables are, the more tender they are. Maybe this guide from WSU will help you out a little bit with when to actually harvest.

[Hibou]

I use the # of days until harvest as just a rough guide to let me know if a plant is supposed to be early, mid-season, or late.