[jb]

Hi,
Has anyone had experience of growing munchen bier as mine are turning into a bit of a disapointment. The plants are massive with lots of pods that look like the pictures but only grow about one to one and a half inches long and have no taste when they should be have be spicy. Also the root looks more like a swede than a radish. Is there a trick to growing these plants for flavour or could my seed be suspect?
Jon

[Yorkie]

Sorry don't know about radishes, but as it's Friday night I couldn't resist the following answer:

Has anyone had experience of growing munchen bier

No, but I did drink it at the Munich beer festival 

[I'll get me coat  ]

[SnooziSuzi]

I haven't tried these yet but I did get some seeds free of a mag.  I believe they are grown as winter radish so perhaps it's just too early for them?

I also think that they are longer in the ground than our red / white radishes so perhaps just leave them in for longer.

can't be of any more help than that tho' sorry 

[Chuffy]

Oh dear, another victim of the Giant Radish of Disappointment...

I planted mine in late autumn and they grew very well (the roots are a bit bland, but perfectly edible). No seedpods until earlier this year, by which time the plants were over six feet tall. The pods were small, as you describe, but I quite liked the taste and texture. Left too long they go a bit leathery. The plants were far too big and kept falling over because the roots weren't strong enough to support them.

I won't be bothering again...

[MoreWhisky]

I grew a small row from the free seeds from some magazine, didnt like them at all wont grow them again.

[jb]

Thanks for the comments folks, as they are massive and partially shading some toms I think its time to pull and replece with something more useful.
At least I can use the roots as weights for fleece/doorstops