Mixed up radishes - BIG BUTT Radishes

I've never been that big a fan of radishes but always planted some because the woman here likes them. Few years ago I learned that they can be fall planted to hep till and improve the soil when they freeze and rot. I got tired of buying seeds for that so started letting some early spring planted ones go to seed. Then I discovered that although I don't like them all that much that I do really like the seed pods. I don't have an idea now how many different kinds I threw in nor how much crossing and genetic mixing goes on.

I save a lot of seeds to plant in spring so the woman has hers and I have my tasty pods and more seeds to plant in the fall and then again the next spring. Lots of seeds end up lost and here and there in the process and one thing led to another. Now radishes grow pretty much wild in my garden. They don't seem overly concerned with what time of year it is, they just come up here and there when ever they feel like it.

Some times the ones that volunteered later in the summer end up growing to what I guess could be called full maturity.  As in really big, just as freezing temps threaten to kill them down. When I first found some like that I figured they would be fibrous or otherwise nasty but they aren't. They are really good, crisp and kind of sweet and not very radish-ish at all.

They aren't all like that, some are more like chewing on a stick. It's a little disappointing that I can't select for that sweet crisp trait cause at that point they are not ready to bloom and won't be before they freeze. O' well I guess I'll just enjoy them as I can, never knowing when for sure they will show up.

You might be able to select these to re-seed.  Chop off the tops and put them in a saucer of water if they are have a good taste. They should start rooting and can be replanted when conditions allow.  mark the plants so you don't eat them again before they have gone to seed.

Radish seed pods  and greens are delicious!
I had a population,  but they died back.
The roots were usually too hot to eat any eat except as a vinegar and sugar pickle,  and that wasn't worth the trouble.
I didn't do lactose fermentation back then,  but I certainly will the next time I grow them.

I have been letting brassicaceae flower together in the same spots. Got some weird looking turnips from volunteers - leaves were quite plentiful and large. I can only recall planting Golden Ball and Shogoin turnips. Also grew some white icicle radishes and black spanish - noticed a few black spanish types returned looking normal.

I would give a try at overwintering some of the roots I can't see why you couldn't some radishes are storage types after all. If you just cut enough off of one side to taste it and then let that dry well you should be able to store them in some damp sand and replant in spring.

Mark, I feel  the same about radishes. This year I planted them just because I got a free pack with other seeds, and discovered that I do like the greens and pods, and those produce for a long time!

The roots I only really like pickled, or else cooked like turnips.

I hope you find a way to grow the giant radish to seed.

I've been trying to figure out what this plant is and photo search led me here. They self seeded in my garden and I've been eating the leaves in salad but wondered if they were giving me tummy aches. It's mid winter here in NZ and they're thriving.

Is this the same plant and are the leaves edible.

Kia ora Laurin, e haere mai ki Permies. That could be one of a number of brassicas, possibly some sort of mustard or turnip. The yellow colouring makes me wonder if it's a swede. How do the leaves taste, and are you eating them raw or cooked (I find a lot of the mustards a little on the sharp side for salads but they cook up beautifully and spice up the silverbeet).

Welcome Laurin. Phil's right, many brassicas look the same. I have a certain Chinese green (not sure what it's called) that has leaves like that, the leaves of radish and daikon tend to be a bit more "indented" than that. It looks like you've got multiple plants-- you might consider pulling the one that is putting up flowers, unless you want the seeds, to see what it's got underneath.
I'm also southern hemisphere and all of these plants are bolting early for me this year (normally we'd be quite cold but so far this year it's been very hot, only now are we getting some cold at night. i planted peas and they just laughed at me, didn't even come up. maybe next month.....)

As Phil says, if they're very peppery you might want to cook them or use them in a quick pickle. I often just chop up greens like this, sprinkle some salt, let them sit and then squeeze them out, serve with a bit of sesame oil alongside a meal.

I agree with Phil and Teresa that it is some kind of brassica. One thing about this family of plants, though is that they hybridize and take many forms. For example, collards, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower are all the same species “brassica oleracea.” Plant them near each other, and they can cross pollinate and get you some unique specimen. So what you have may be a one-of-a-kind plant.