Growing the humble radish

• Easy and quick to grow from seed
• Can be grown all year round
• Plant every couple of weeks for a continuous supply
• Radishes need finely tilled soil 20 – 30cm deep

Prepare garden soil by tilling the soil to at least 20 to 30cm deep, depending on the variety you are growing. In Melbourne radishes can be grown during every month of the year. They will soon be ready to harvest, just 3 weeks after planting for some varieties. For most varieties, harvest when roots are about 2.5cm to 3cm in diameter at the soil surface. Test one before harvesting the rest.

One seed will produce 1 radish. Sow more seeds every 2 to 3 weeks to have a continuous supply. I use fine sand mixed with the seed to help with spacing. If you have a seed dispenser that will be of great assistance when planting radish seeds.

During spring and summer radishes can be grown in containers of virtually any size.

The most common cause of radishes growing only greens is hot weather. Once the weather warms up the radish plant bolts and tries to set seed. If they are crowded and they are rubbing against each other, they will sense there isn’t enough room to plump up and will go to seed.

Water well when the weather is warm and dry, especially if growing in containers.

There are many varieties of radish. Globe varieties have many colours ranging from bright red to white. There is a black one called Spanish Black. A popular one is the Daikon variety, a long white radish that is widely used, and often pickled in Asian cuisine. Daikon prefers to be grown in winter. Other varieties will happily grow at any time of year. Read the seed packet for growing recommendations.

Written by Sandra Macneil