Radish: planting, sowing & care

Radish is a fast-growing, healthy vegetable and can be grown almost all year round. With us you will learn everything about the origin and properties of cabbage and about planting radishes.

The garden radish (Raphanus sativus var. Niger) is one of the most popular vegetables in Asia. In Germany, the beer radish is better known - but the radish can be used in a much more diverse way. We present the radish, its properties and requirements and also give tips on planting and caring for it.

Radish: origin and properties

The radish, also known as radish or radish, belongs to the cabbage family (Brassicaceae). He's close radish (Raphanussativus var. sativus) and oil radish (Raphanus sativus var. oleiformis) related. Radish probably comes from field radish (

Raphanus raphanistrum) which is native to southern Europe and Asia. The cultivated form of the radish probably only reached Germany in the 13th century. Century. Today it is used worldwide as a vegetable plant. The word radish or radi comes from the Latin "radix", which means "root".

Radishes form thickened roots from parts of the root and shoot, called the hypocotyl. The round, oval or cylindrical radishes can be white, pink, red, violet, green, brown or black on the outside. Inside is the white, green to magenta-colored beet flesh with its aromatic, hot, sweet taste. Like all cabbage plants, the radish also contains various mustard oils, which are responsible for the typical, cabbage-like, hot taste. They have an antibacterial effect, which is why radish can be processed into cough syrup.

The radish root can reach deep into the ground and hardly forms side roots. The leaves of the radish initially form a basal leaf rosette with serrated, lobed to pinnate individual leaves, some of which have long stalks. At the flowering time, the radish plants stretch in length and form tall flowering shoots that are covered with alternate leaves. The long-day plants only flower when the length of the day has exceeded a certain number of hours. This is usually the case between May and the end of June. The radish blossoms appear on shoots that are 120 – 200 cm high. They grow in bunches and have white to pink flowers with some dark veins. Radishes are self-sterile, therefore strict cross-pollinators and dependent on insects. The flowers therefore provide both nectar and pollen. After pollination, elongated pods form in which the angular, reddish-brown to dark-brown radish seeds ripen. Even when the pods are ripe, they don't burst open, unlike canola (Brassica napus) or mustard (Sinapis). Radish is edible in all parts: the leaves, flowers and young pods can also be used in the kitchen.

What is the difference between radishes and radishes? Radish and radishes belong to the same species, but each form different variants. Radishes are often significantly larger and longer, their taste is more aromatic, while being sweet to pungent. Radishes, on the other hand, have a mildly hot taste and are harvested after a few weeks as tender, small turnips. However, they are so closely related that they can interbreed if they flower at the same time.

Planting radishes: sowing, location and more

The optimal location for radish is on light to medium-heavy, crumbly soil with good water supply in full sun to partial shade. On soil that is too light, radishes tend to become furry and extremely pungent. On the other hand, the radish root cannot be well developed and harvested with difficulty on soil that is too heavy. Silting or heavy soils with a tendency to waterlogging are unsuitable, but can be improved with a compost-rich potting soil like ours Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil and sand to be improved. The introduction of organic matter also improves the soil in the long term, since soil life is promoted and the formation of humus is increased.

Depending on the type of cultivation and variety, radish is sown directly outdoors or in a cold house. Pre-cultivation is possible, but direct sowing results in much nicer beets and deeper roots, which makes maintenance and harvesting easier. Some radish varieties are suitable for summer cultivation with sowing in spring, others are sown as storable autumn and winter radishes from August. Radishes can also be cultivated over the winter in unheated, sheltered cold houses.

Due to the large variety of varieties and their cultivation at different times of the year, radishes can be sown in batches every two weeks and can therefore be harvested almost all year round. First, the soil is tilled, removing unwanted weeds and generously loosening the soil. The radish seeds are then sown closely in rows with a distance of 25 - 30 cm and later separated with a distance of 20 cm between the individual radish plants. The seed is placed 1 - 2 cm deep in the ground or potting soil and watered vigorously. At an optimal germination temperature of 14 - 15 °C, the first seedlings can be seen after 8 to 10 days.

Good and bad neighbors for radish: One mixed culture with radishes it is very worthwhile, as some planting partners keep pests away and do not transmit diseases further. Good neighbors for radish are salads (Lactuca), carrot (Daucus carota), celery (Apium graveolens), salsify (Scorzonera hispanica), spinach (Spinacia oleracea), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), paprika (Capsicum annum), pea (Pisum sativum) and Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). Bad plant neighbors, on the other hand, are related cabbage plants (Brassica), cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) and onions (Allium cepa).

Fast-growing radish varieties can be grown as a previous crop or as a second crop. In the greenhouse, the hot beets thrive optimally in early spring and are harvested by the beginning of May when tomatoes, peppers and the like move in. Autumn and winter radishes can be sown from August as a follow-up crop after early carrot varieties, bush beans, peas or lettuce. Radish should not be grown right after other cabbages to avoid the dreaded Clubroot (Plasmodiophora brassicae) to escape. A break in cultivation of four to five years is therefore recommended.

The right care

The care of radish is quite easy, also because the culture is fast-growing. Two to three weeks after sowing, the seedlings are separated to their final distance. Regular hoeing between the rows reduces the growth of weeds, which is particularly important in the seedling phase. We present further care measures in the following paragraphs.

Water and fertilize

Fertilization and watering are important when growing radish, as drought, heat, and nutrient deficiencies result in furry, acrid, and woody beets. In extreme cases, the radishes shoot out of stress and bloom prematurely. A regular water supply is therefore necessary, especially in dry periods.

Radish is one of the average consumers and should be supplied with sufficient nutrients, especially at the time when the beet is developing. Our Plantura organic tomato fertilizer is specially tailored to the needs of tomatoes and other types of vegetables. It works over a period of about three months and slowly and evenly releases the nutrients it contains. This effectively prevents the plants from being washed out or over-fertilised. The animal-free granular fertilizer can be worked into the surface of the soil when loosening it for sowing. Fresh manure or compost should not be worked in just before you sow radishes, as this is far too harsh for radishes and can damage the plants.

Common radish diseases and pests

Radish is a fairly hardy vegetable crop, however, in unfavorable growing conditions, various pests and diseases can appear:

• flea beetles (Psylliodes): Tiny, jumping, shiny black beetles cause leaves with sieve-like holes. Regular inter-row hoeing, fine-meshed vegetable protection netting, and tansy broth reduce infestations.
• cabbage fly (delia): The maggots of the cabbage fly feed on the roots of cabbage plants and young plants often die off completely. Vegetable protection nets and a mixed culture with tomatoes and celery keep cabbage flies away.
• Mealy cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae): White-grey lice suck on the young tips of the shoots. Beneficial insects against aphids and a mixed culture with beans reduce the infestation.

• Leaf spot disease: Various fungal pathogens cause dark spots on the leaves, which themselves are often not dangerous, but to other diseases or pests on the radish Clues.
• Wrong mildew (Peronospora parasitica): On the underside of the leaf, grey-white fungal growths form, which are reflected on the upper side as yellow spots. Warm and humid weather promotes the disease, so care should be taken to ensure adequate ventilation and planting distances.
• white rust (Albugo candida): Shiny white fungal pustules on the underside of the leaf appear especially in high humidity and spread quickly through wind and water in the stand. Affected leaves should be removed and disposed of with household waste.

Are radishes hardy?

Young, ready-to-harvest radishes are not hardy and are therefore harvested and stored in their entirety in autumn. Fully grown autumn radishes can withstand temperatures as low as -9 °C and can theoretically be harvested all winter long if the ground is frost-free, but they are often too woody at this stage. The beets can also burst open during frost and are then no longer edible. A winter protection with foil or fleece or the cultivation of radish in the isolating, unheated greenhouse is a better alternative to growing outdoors if the beets are not in storage can become.

The first aromatic radish beets can be harvested just a few weeks after sowing. We give tips Harvesting and storage of radish.