Growing Summer Radish
Sow radish seed under cloches in January or February or outdoors in March until early June. Summer radish do not grow well after June, when the roots become woody & peppery.
Seed
- Germination time - 4-7 days
- Yield from a 3 meter row - 2 kg
- Time between sowing & harvesting - 3 to 6 weeks
- Sowing depth - 1.25cm
- Spacing in row - 2.5cm
- Distance between rows - 15cm
Soil
Summer radish grow best in a fertile, well drained soil. The radish will grow almost anywhere, but it is worth preparing the soil well to give a good seed bed as they need to grow quickly to become tender and tasty. Early sown crops need a sunny spot, but some shade is preferred in summer.
Crop Care - rapid, uninterrupted growth is needed for tender radish.
- Thinning is not necessary if the plants are spaced at 2.5cm intervals
- Protect the radish from birds & flea beetle. If beetles start to perforate the leaves spray with Derris
- Hoe between rows to remove weeds
- Water when the soil becomes dry
Pull when the round ones are thumb-nail size, & the long ones are thumb length. If they get too big they will go woody & hollow.
Storage - in a polythene bag in the fridge for a week
Varieties
- Round:
Cherry Belle - red
Scarlet Globe - red
Inca - red
Saxerre - red
Sparkler - red/white
Inca - red
Inca - redSaxerre - red
Inca - redSaxerre - redSparkler - red/white
Inca - redSaxerre - redSparkler - red/white
Inca - redSaxerre - redSparkler - red/white
- Tubular:
French Breakfast - red/white
Yellow Gold - yellow
White Icicle - white, very long Japanese type
I have germinated radish seed and then potted it on into large plant pots which are in my greenhouse. Is it ok to plant this radish outside now?
Sara
Comment by Sara - April 26, 2007 8:40 am
Hi Sara
We wonder if it is worth transplanting them. Radish grow very quickly, so why not leave them in the pot? They should be ready in a couple of weeks.
If you transplant them it may slow their growth down, which would spoil the flavour and texture.
Leave them in the pot and you will be eating crispy, crunchy radish in no time!
TopVeg
Comment by TopVeg - April 26, 2007 9:52 am
Thanks Top Veg - I can’t wait to taste them!
Sara
Comment by Sara - April 26, 2007 10:00 am
I have jsut read an article that compares to types of radish the scarlet globe and sparkler. http://www.mytinyplot.co.uk/?p=180 In their opinion the scarlet globe has a better taste. What is your opinon Top Veg - which radish do you recommend for taste?
Sara
Comment by Sara - April 28, 2007 7:51 am
[…] I have been growing radish in my greenhouse following the expert advice from Top Veg. […]
Pingback by Farming Friends » Growing Radish - April 28, 2007 8:06 am
Hi Sara
A good question, but difficult to answer because taste is so subjective. Scarlet Globe has a good radish taste, but we like French Breakfast which is milder.
The exciting thing about vegetable gardening is tasting the vast number of different varieties!
Best wishes
TopVeg
Comment by TopVeg - April 28, 2007 9:45 am
[…] Today the radish was finally ready to eat so we had these two fine specimens of Summer radish chopped up with our broccoli and pine nut salad. So thanks Top Veg for all your expert advice in helping me grow this fabulous radish. Click on this link if you want to grow Summer radish. Posted in: Diary Extracts […]
Pingback by Farming Friends » Homegrown Radish Ready Or Not! - May 5, 2007 1:21 pm
[…] have found radish very easy to grow thanks to advice from TopVeg. I thought that it would be great for the children in my gardening club to sow radish seeds and […]
Pingback by Farming Friends » Instructions For Growing Summer Radish - June 28, 2007 9:53 pm
[…] The card may be downloaded and printed off. The growing card may be pinned to the potting shed wall as a useful reference on how to grow summer radish. […]
Pingback by Top Veg » Blog Archive » Instructions For Growing Summer Radish - June 29, 2007 9:32 am
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