radical roots

there’s nothing quite like pulling a crisp root vegetable from newly thawed ground and prepping it for the table in just a few minutes. Radishes, carrots, turnips and beets are cold-hardy staples that fill the gaps when little else grows. Because they are so versatile, they too easily become an ordinary refrain: the only roots we bother to grow. It turns out there are roots for every season, and growing them in succession with other crops can help loosen and renew soil.

Spring heralds new growth, but as gardeners we know that successful crops begin in the off season. When summer’s main crops die back and cooler temperatures set in, we have time to reflect, amend soil and purchase seeds. Planning the