How to Grow Radish

Each one of us knows that setting a beautiful garden for the front lawn requires time and patience. It isn’t just about having a lush green lawn, but also about decorating it with the choicest plants and flowers. While some of us choose flowers and shrubs, many prefer turning their front lawn/backyard into a beautiful vegetable garden.

While radishes grow fast and pass numerous benefits to the soil, there is confusion about their growing time (depending on the season). It leads to the doubt if radishes can be grown at home. Well, they can, and we are just about to tell you how. 

Sometimes, radishes grow within three weeks after planting the seeds. March/April is the most ideal for planting radish seeds. While excessive sunlight may spoil the harvest almost immediately, it is crucial to note the best time to sow the seeds.

The speedy growing time makes this vegetable one of the easiest to grow and harvest at home. Moreover, radishes help improve soil fertility by lending a plethora of organic nutrients to it. The process helps damaged soil recover faster to foster new plants. 

How Radishes Grow: A Guide

If you are someone who loves to include fresh radish in their salad, you will be pleasantly surprised to know that they are one of the easiest vegetables to grow. Having said this, one must have complete knowledge of the best growing time for this root vegetable. 

Here is a step-by-step guide to help you understand the process as the radishes grow in your front/backyard.

The Variety

Just like any other vegetable, radishes also come in several varieties. Decide which type is your favorite and buy the seeds accordingly. For those who wish to have a quick harvest, cherry belle radishes are your best option. They grow the fastest, and their mild flavor complements almost all dishes.

Cherry belle radishes are the most common type. These are red on the outside and white inside. One usually grows them in spring or fall. Winter radishes, such as daikon, are larger and take the longest for harvest. An ideal time to sow the seeds is in late summer.

Soil Health

Radishes are grown in fall/spring. However, it helps if you add enough organic fertilizer to the soil before sowing the seeds. Ensuring soil health reduces the risk of root damage and plant death. 

Furthermore, good fertilizers prevent the attack of fungi that cause the root to rot and die.

Do not sow the seeds below 1/2 inch into the ground. Sow them about 3 inches apart from each other. If you plan to have several radishes, ensure that the seed rows are at least 14 inches apart.

Sunlight

Radish seeds respond the fastest to sunlight. Better the sunlight, the higher the chances of harvesting the best stock of radishes. Plant the seeds in the area of the garden with ample sunlight. If you think the light gets too harsh by noon, make a provision for a gentle shade over the seeds (we don’t want to kill them). We do not recommend sowing the seeds around taller trees as they will block the sunlight and stunt the vegetable’s growth. 

Companion Plants

Radishes help prevent several plant-eating bugs and pests. While they must not be planted around tall trees, planting them around carrots, parsnips, turnips, and radishes will help. Bugs damage most of these vegetables. Radishes will reduce this onslaught remarkably. 

Watering the Plants

Radishes have a short growing time. Watering them helps maintain this speed. It is imperative to keep the ground moist, but do not drown the roots in water. Excess water or parched soil will have subsequent consequences.

Water the seeds regularly. If your watering time/method is irregular (water for few days only), the radishes will crack.

Keep checking the soil for moisture too. If you feel that it needs more moisture, water twice a day and add compost into the land. It will help in moisture retention. 

Harvesting the Radishes

Check the seed packet to find out the estimated harvest time for the radishes. The root leaves are the best indicators to help understand how far long the radishes will take to grow. Depending on the growing time, if the head (leaves) is about an inch long, the radishes are ready for harvest.

Hold the head with your hands and pull out the entire root. You can taste a few radishes to be sure if they are ready for harvest. Unlike other root vegetables, radishes cannot be left in the ground for a long time as they become hard and pithy. 

Storage and Use

Brush off the dirt from the radishes with your hand and leave them for storage. They can stay fresh for up to two weeks. 

If you wish to consume them immediately, trim the top and bottom of the radishes, wash them thoroughly under running water and peel off the skin.

Do not wash the radish leaves if you wish to store them. Keep the leaves with the stem and fold them neatly into a paper bag. Leave these in the refrigerator. Only wash the leaves before using them. 

These tips come in handy when one has a front lawn or a vegetable garden in the backyard. Those maintaining a terrace garden or the likes may wonder if radishes can grow in pots. 

Do Radishes Grow in Pots?

The answer is YES!

Growing this vegetable in pots and containers requires minimum effort. Sowing radish seeds in pots reduce their growing time and allows them to control pests, bugs, and moisture faster than the ground. 

The Pot

Choose a pot that is large and has a drainage hole. It will help get rid of any excess moisture. It is better to choose an unglazed pot as it aids in getting rid of extra dampness. 

The Soil Mix

Prepare some organic compost, using your food waste beforehand. You can mix this with the soil you buy. The organic compost will help manage the moisture and promote better soil health.  

Planting the Seeds

You may scatter the seeds all over the soil or measure and plant them two inches apart from each other. You will see that the seeds will germinate in about 3-4 weeks. 

Water and Sunlight

Whether a garden or a pot, radishes require constant moisture and sunlight for at least 6 hours. 

Now, we know how radishes grow and their growing time, but let’s presume for a while that radish seeds are not available anywhere. One possibility that most of us may have explored with other vegetables (e.g., tomatoes) is to use a vegetable to grow more. 

While this may hold for several vegetables, is it the case with radishes?

Can You Grow a Radish from a Radish

Yes, you can. But it depends on which part of the vegetable you wish to grow; leaves or the root. 

The Root

First, harvest the radishes about five days to a week sooner. You can pick all or a few, depending on your need. The reason is to have as many roots at the bottom of the vegetable as possible. 

Cut one inch off the bottom of the root and cover it in germination liquid/gel. Dig a hole into a pot or soil of the garden and place the entire gel-covered bulb in it. Cover it up with the remaining soil.

Water the seeds regularly and expose it to ample sunlight. You will see the results soon. 

For The Leaves

The usual misconception about growing radish from a radish is to use the tip of the root. It helps with radish leaves. If you use radish leaves in salads and teas, follow the same procedure as the one for the root to grow radish leaves. 

In this case, trim the head of the vegetable and bury it into the soil. 

The rest of the process is the same. 

It often happens that despite following all the instructions, the vegetable does not grow. There could be umpteen reasons for a radish not peeking out from having too many rocks/pebbles in the soil to it lacking moisture. Let’s begin by addressing an important question:

Why Won’t My Radishes Grow?

There could be several reasons why your radishes do not bulb.

Roots do not form. It usually happens when you plant the seeds too close to each other. As a result, the roots don’t have enough space to grow. The bulb tends to die soon.

Lack of sunlight. If you plant the seeds in harsh winters or soon after frost, the radish growing time will be longer or is not going to grow at all. Radishes need close to 6 hours of sunlight each day. 

Lack of moisture in the soil. Radishes need moist soil to thrive. If the land goes dry, the vegetable tends to firm up or not grow properly. 

Soil Health. Often, the soil is full of harmful leftover chemical contents from pesticides and sprays. Test the land for such residual chemicals before using it for the seeds. 

Rocky Soil. If you plan to plant the seeds in your garden, clear the soil of any rocks or pebbles that may be underground. Often, they stunt the growth of the root and cause instant death. 

Too Much Sunlight. Radishes indeed require up to 6 hours of sunlight every day but overexposing them is not healthy. It will burn them dry or discolor them.

Despite all the hard work and attention, when radishes refuse to grow, it can get frustrating. One may discard the entire project or may wish to start all over again. In some cases, we attempt to regrow the radishes. One of which is to use one radish to regrow the others. 

While this is one of the best options, it demands labor and hard work. You have to dig out the land, clear the rocks, prepare your root, bury it, and keep an eye. You don’t know if the trick has worked until you don’t begin to see any green on the land. 

What if we could use the same trick but be able to see the entire process?

Regrowing Radishes in Water

We know this sounds a bit offbeat, but hear us out. This method is possible. It is easier than you may have anticipated. Here are some of the steps to guide you with the process.

What You Will Need

Any radish

1. 3 sticks the size of toothpicks (you can also take 3 thick toothpicks
2. 1 plastic/glass/transparent cup
3. Half a glass of water

Choose the Right Radish. You can choose any radish you’d like. If you are trying this method for the first time, we recommend the cherry belle variety. Since this is the most common variety, it will be available everywhere. Also, these radishes are relatively smaller and will deliver faster results. Once you are confident, you can try with other varieties. 

Once you have chosen your radish, the rest is easy. 

1. Begin by trimming the head of the radish by an inch. Get rid of all the leaves on the head, but do not eliminate the green. 
2. Keep some portion of the little green stems on the head. These will help with the leaves.
3. Now, take three sticks. These must be thick enough to hold the radish in the water. 
4. Pierce the pointy end of the stick/toothpick into the flesh of the radish. The stick must enter the flesh diagonally. 6
5. Repeat the same with the other two sticks.
6. The radish is now secure from three sides (circular) with the sticks. 
7. Pour the water into a plastic/transparent cup.
8. Gently place the radish in the cup.
9. The sticks should be at the rim, holding the radish in the center of the cup.
10. There should be enough water to soak half of the radish.
11. Do not drown the radish in the water. Pour some of the water in the sink if it soaks the radish.
12. Now place the cup near the window or any part of the house that has ample sunlight.
13. Keep monitoring the cup.  

Within a few days, you will start seeing the radish grow. This method is highly effective as it doesn’t only help with the radish bulbs, but also its leaves. Once the radish has grown substantially inside the cup, you can take it out, remove the sticks and plant it in your garden. The radish will be ready for harvest soon. 

The growing time for such a method is the only variable. If you choose a winter radish such as daikon, it could take much longer. Furthermore, daikon radishes are quite long and may not survive in a glass for a long time.

You can use the same technique with glass bowls or tall glasses using chopsticks or skewers. 

The beauty of radishes is this. They are fuss-free and can grow almost anywhere. This low-calorie, the high-fiber vegetable is not only easy to grow but is also easy on your stomach. From gut-friendly bacteria to prevention against cancer, this is a magic root. The impact of their properties is so strong that you will hardly find any bugs or insects on the land wherever radishes grow. 

They also help in retaining or building the health of the land/garden/soil. Farmers often grow radishes midseason to add more nutrients to the land. These nutrients help crops round the year. If this is what radishes can do to a piece of land, imagine what they can do to your body. 

From using the radish bulbs in salads and kimchis to their leaves in wraps and teas, there isn’t a single part of this vegetable that isn’t beneficial. Unfortunately, radishes tend to lose most of their nutrients and qualities once trimmed, peeled, packaged, and delivered to bigger supermarkets. In an attempt to make cooking fuss-free, vegetables like radishes have suffered the onslaught of preservatives and packaging for too long now. 

Before You Leave

It may not be plausible to grow every vegetable at home. We have to make peace with supermarkets and struggle with our doubts about the ‘organic label’ on products. But this may not hold for the humble radish. Its shorter growing time demands one attempt at home from each one of us. If it works, you are giving yourself organic radishes for a lifetime. Try the water method with children. It could be a fun weekend activity; they won’t stop marveling at the beauty of nature growing in that glass. Also, they will eat that radish without complaints, we promise!