Radishes are a crunchy and slightly spicy vegetable that is super easy to grow. These tips and information are perfect for planting and growing radishes in your garden or greenhouse.
Botanical Information: Raphanus sativus
Quick Facts:
Radishes are an edible root vegetable of the family Brassicaceae that was domesticated in Asia prior to Roman times.
Radishes are grown and consumed throughout the world, being mostly eaten raw as a crunchy salad vegetable with a pungent flavor.
Varieties:
There are quite a few varieties of radishes. The most common are:
Stela
Plum Purple
Rougette
Scarlet Globe
Tarzan
Starting:
Start radishes from seed sown directly in the garden. Seed is viable for 5 years. Start seeds in the garden about 6 to 4 weeks before you expect the last frost in spring. Radish can be started indoors, but they—like most root crops—are difficult to transplant to the garden with success.
Spacing:
When growing annual radishes for seed, increase spacing to 4-6 inches between plants in rows 24 inches apart. When growing biennial radishes for seed, increase spacing to 12-18 inches between plants in rows 24-48 inches apart.
Companions and Enemies:
There are quite a few plants that will help radish plants grow and flourish. Some of them are:
Dill
Parsnip
Pole Beans
Mint
Peas
On the other hand, there are plants that will hurt the growth of radishes. Some are:
agastache
potatoes
Watering :
The soil should stay moist. As soon as first shoots appear begin watering regularly, but gently, with a watering can. Radishes should never sit in water, but they do like sufficient moisture so that roots can grow plump. .
Light:
Radishes require at least 6 hours of full sun per day, but they are tolerant of some shade. Radishes are a cool weather crop and a shady area could allow them to grow radishes longer into the season, because temperatures will be slightly lower.
Pollination:
Radish flowers are pollinated by insects including bees and flies. Pollen must be moved from plant to plant as well as from flower to flower or pods will not form.
If planting in a greenhouse, pollinating is important. You can do so by shaking the flowers.
Common Problems
Cracked Roots
Woody Texture
Aphids
Cut Worms
Cabbage Loopers
Harvesting
Some radish varieties are ready to harvest in as little as 3 weeks. You will know when they are ready when the roots are about 1 inch in diameter at the soil surface. Pull one out and test it before harvesting the rest.
Storing & Preparing
Radishes should be kept in the fridge. They can last at least a couple weeks at the right temperature. Most of the time radishes are chopped and used in a salad or eaten whole as a snack. You can also cook radishes as a side dish or in a pasta dish.
Planting and Growing Radishes can be easy with these tips.
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