Best tips for growing Radish / Raphanus sativus

Radish (Raphanus sativus) is a hardy cool season crop known for the pungent flavor it adds to salad and dishes.  Root is its edible part and it belongs to same family as cabbage and cauliflower belong. Radish crop can be harvested within a month of sowing seeds so one can harvest multiple crops by sowing seeds every week. Radish can be used as intercrop along with spinach, coriander etc too but do not plant it with any cole crop like cabbage, cauliflower.It is called as 'mooli' in Hindi.

Propagation

Radish is propagated from seeds. Prepare soil bed by removing weeds, stones and gravels which hamper root’s growth in to the ground. Mix a good quality farm yard manure or garden compost to the soil. Sow seeds ½ inch deep and 1 inch apart. Keep at least 12 inches spacing between two rows to encourage good growth. Water the soil instantly and keep it moist. Seeds sprout within a week.

Container

If you are short of space and want to grow radish in containers then size of container is important as long radish (generally grown in India) can be up to 12 inches / 1 foot long. So use large containers for them. Round red variety radish can be grown in medium sized container.  Put small brick or stone pieces on drainage holes.

Soil

Radish grows in any type of well drained and loose soil. Till the soil to depth of 6-8 inches to make it loose and more suitable for growing radish. Add a layer of farmyard manure or garden compost to enrich it with organic matter. 

Sun/Temperature

Radish grows in full sun. It requires minimum 4-5 hours of direct sun light. Afternoon shade is beneficial for the plant.

Watering

Radish needs regular watering. Keep the soil moist. In dry soil conditions, radish tends to bolt and tastes bitter (too pungent).  But do not over do the watering otherwise root will rot and split. 

Fertilizer

Radish doesn’t have much feeding requirement. A good quality garden compost or farm yard manure like cow dung works well. If you want to use fertilizer then use anything but nitrogen based as it promotes foliage growth not roots.

Harvesting

Harvesting time is important factor in growing radish. If you leave radish in ground for too long then it becomes inedible. Generally crop can be harvested from 3^rd week of sowing seeds.  Mature radish can be identified by large leaves above the ground on 2-3 cm wide top. Pull the mature radish out of the ground and cut off the lush green top. Store the harvested crop in refrigerator and use within a week. In order to save seeds for next season leave the radish in the ground and let it flower and fruit.

Check out tips for growing potato at home.