This ultimate guide on how to grow radish, will help you in growing radish in your garden. Get to know about growing season, potting mix, selection of pot, propagation method, sunlight requirements, etc.
If you want to grow & harvest a vegetables in a very short period of time then you can grow radish. You can harvest radish as soon as 3 to 4 weeks after plantation. Moreover, it is very easy to care for radish plant.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Radish is a root vegetable of the family Brassicaceae. People across the world loves to consume raw radish or as crunchy salads. There are various varieties of radish. There are green radish, Daikon, Black radish, Red radish, oil seed radish, etc.
However the sharp flavour in radish is because of chemical compounds such as glucosinolate, myrosinase, and isothiosyanate. The radish plant produces these chemical compounds. They grow very rapidly but the daikon variety takes time.
If you want to harvest soon then you can select the smaller sized varieties. But if you want to wait a little longer to have large white coloured root vegetable then you can select daikon variety. According to webmd.com they are rich in antioxidants such as pyrogallol, vanillic acid, catechin, etc.
Radish also have Vitamin-C and potassium. Consuming radish helps in reducing diabetes risk, cardiovascular improvement, etc. That’s why people around the globe loves to grow fresh and healthy radish vegetable in their wonderful garden.
But wait, haven’t you started growing them or you have failed again and again? Well after reading this article growing radishes will be on your finger tips.
How To Grow Radish?
Growing radish is not a very tough job. You have to know about growing season, potting mix, pot selection, propagation methods, etc. Once you know these things, you will succeed very easily in growing radishes.
Growing Season
Radish is a cool season vegetable. Either you can start sowing seeds during fall or late summer, or you can sow seeds during early spring season. Generally it grows best when the average temperature range is in between 10 to 18 degrees Celsius.
But you can not grow them during hot summer days. Although during the growing season you can grow radish again and again till the end of the season. If the climate is much cooler then this plant will take longer time to mature.
However, you can grow radish in plant hardiness zones 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.
Potting Mix
Radish plant loves clayey loam to sandy loam soil. Till now sandy loam soil is considered best for growing radishes. However, you can prepare a good potting mix with 50% normal garden soil + 30% cocopeat + 20% any organic compost.
You can also add one handful of neem cake fertilizer in this mixture. Mix them very well and your potting mix is ready. You can now use this potting mix for growing radishes.
Selection Of Pot
For growing this root vegetable mainly depth of the container plays an important role. Depending on the cultivar you select, choose your pot that have ideal depth to prosper the growth of tuberous root. Before purchasing the seeds, make sure to know about the cultivar.
But the diameter of the pot should be at least 8 inches with 3 to 4 drainage holes at the bottom. If you can select earthen pot then it is quite good. Although you can also grow radish in plastic or cemented pot too. However, if you are growing them directly in the ground soil without pot then it is wonderful.
Propagation
You can propagate radishes through seed germination. Purchase high quality seeds from online stores or the nearest plant nursery. For sowing of seeds, fill the pot with potting mix and leave 2 to 3 inches space at the top.
Make sure that the drainage holes at the bottom remains open. For this you place small pebbles at the bottom and over it the potting mix. Sow seeds at a depth of 1/2 to 1 inches. Maintain 2 to 4 inches spacing between two seeds.
After sowing cover seeds with a very thin layer of potting mix and apply water gently. You can also use beejamrit for treating your seeds before sowing for an excellent germination rate. Place your pot in a sunny spot and maintain adequate moisture.
Within 3 to 5 day you will notice the growth of new seedlings. Hurray! you have easily crossed the first step of growing radish. Let’s now know about caring for your newly germinated radish seedlings from seeds.
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Radish Plant Care
After germination of seeds you definitely need to know sunlight, watering, fertilizers requirements, etc. of the plant. This will help you get maximum yield. Moreover, you also need about pest & disease management to care for your radish plant.
Sunlight
According to homeguides.sfgate.com radish plant needs bright direct sunlight for at least 5 to 6 hours daily. However, they can also grow under shade but the foliar leaves size will increase and the root vegetable size will decrease.
Therefore, sunlight plays an important role for growing a healthy tuberous root of the radish. If you are growing for leafy part then you can also place your under semi shade.
Watering
Radish plant loves moist but hates waterlogged soil. Therefore make sure that the soil is loose and the drainage holes are not blocked. Apply water whenever the top layer of the potting mix seems dry. During winters I prefer watering once after every two to three days.
However, watering through drip irrigation is best for growing radishes.
Fertlizers
You have to add nearly zero to very less amount of fertilizer for growing radish. Yes, you read it correct. Absolutely no additional fertilizer is required for growing radishes. Fertilizers mainly helps in the vegetative growth of the plant. But for radishes we want growth of the root tubers.
Hence adding lots of fertilizer will promote growth of foliage parts of the plant such as leaves. That’s why we add only 20% compost in the potting mix at the beginning.
Pest & Diseases
Not much pest and disease can disturb your radish plant. Pests such as aphids, and root maggots can disturb your plant sometimes. You can sun dry the garden soil before adding it in potting mix. This will help in preventing the growth of root maggots in the soil.
If you are facing problem of aphids attack on your plant then check this article to learn on how to control aphids.
READ MORE: HOW TO CONTROL APHIDS: THE BEST WAYS
Harvesting
So here are we, going to harvest self grown radishes in our garden. Depending on the cultivar and the growing season, harvesting time can differ. Generally the small sized varieties can be harvested after 3 to 4 weeks of planting.
But the large sized varieties can take 6 to 7 weeks. However, if you grow them during spring then they mature within 20 to 30 days. But during winters they take 50 to 60 days to mature.
For harvesting, loose the soil around the plant and uplift the plant gently with your hand. Now, your radish is ready! Enjoy the freshly grown healthy radish from your garden.
Author’s Note
I guess now you are very clear about how to grow radish in your garden. If you have any idea, suggestions, or query then your comment below. You can also connect with Agriculture Review on Facebook and Instagram.
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