Step-by-step radish growing guide: Suitable conditions to consider

Growing radishes is a simple process that you can do in your own garden. They grow quickly and are a good option if you want to get started in the world of horticulture. What's more, you don't need a lot of space or complex tools to get a good harvest.

Many farmers take advantage of systems such as greenhouses. Some of these are the tunnel greenhouse, straight walls tunnel, minitunnel greenhouse and the mini wide span greenhouse. They come in different sizes, but you need to know what to do inside them. In this article, I will explain everything you need to know about radishes.

1. What is radish?
2. Health benefits of radishes
3. When is the best time to grow radishes?
4. Step-by-step guide to growing radishes
5. Basic care for growing radishes
   • Ideal watering for radishes
   • Fertiliser for radishes
   • Most common pests and diseases
   • Pruning radishes
6. What types of radishes are there?
7. When are radishes harvested?

What is radish?

Radish is a vegetable with an edible root. It is famous for its fresh and slightly spicy flavour. It comes from the cruciferous family, like cabbage and broccoli. Other main characteristics include:

• It can be eaten cooked or raw in salads.
• It is low in calories.
• It has a high water content.
• It comes in various colours and shapes.

Health benefits of radishes

The main benefits of consuming radishes are:

• It is good for digestion because it contains fibre.
• It contains more than 90% water, which promotes hydration.
• Provides vitamin C, potassium, and natural antioxidants.
• It helps improve kidney health because it allows the liver to be cleansed.
• It is low in calories, ideal for balanced diets.

When is the best time to grow radishes?

You should know that radishes have a short growing cycle and adapt to different seasons. However, they grow best in temperate climates.

In this regard, sowing radishes is recommended for early spring and autumn. This avoids the extreme heat of summer.

Step-by-step guide to growing radishes

If you want to grow good radishes, just follow these simple steps:

1. Prepare the soil: Before sowing, you should turn the soil and add organic compost. Remember that radishes prefer loose, well-drained soil.
2. Direct sowing: Now you must plant the seeds at a shallow depth. Ideally, this should be 1 cm, with a spacing of 10 to 15 cm between rows.
3. Maintain constant humidity: It is important to water frequently to promote germination. This type of crop does not tolerate drought well.
4. Control the space: Here, when the seedlings sprout, it is necessary to thin them out to prevent them from competing for nutrients.
5. Quick harvest: Radishes can be ready in 3 to 5 weeks after sowing. However, this will vary depending on the variety you grow.

Basic care for growing radishes

The radish plant will always need certain care to grow healthily. We explain this below.

Ideal watering for radishes

As it does not tolerate drought very well, you should water it frequently and moderately. The ideal is to keep the soil moist without waterlogging it. If you add too much water, you can rot the root.

Fertiliser for radishes

The truth is that radishes are not very demanding in terms of nutrients, but they will benefit from soil with compost or worm humus. Just avoid fertilisers with excess nitrogen because they will cause the leaves to grow more than the roots.

Most common pests and diseases

Here, consider this:

• Pests: The most common pests are aphids and caterpillars. They attack the young leaves.
• Diseases: These may include mildew or rust. They appear when there is excess moisture.

To avoid these problems, you should rotate your crops.

Pruning radishes

Finally, you should know that radishes do not require pruning as such. It is advisable to remove damaged or weak leaves so that the plant can concentrate its energy on root development.

What types of radishes are there?

To consider your radish crop, you should also know the different types that exist:

• Round red radish: The classic salad ingredient, small and crunchy.
• Long radish: Similar to a small carrot, with an intense flavour.
• White radish (daikon): Originally from Asia, it is large in size and has a milder flavour.
• Black radishes: These are less common, with dark skin and a spicy flavour.

When are radishes harvested?

Radishes are one of the fastest-growing vegetables. They are usually harvested between 20 and 40 days after sowing. However, this will depend on the variety and growing conditions.

It is advisable not to leave it too long because, if it grows excessively, it can become woody and lose all its flavour.

On the other hand, if you want to grow in controlled spaces and quality structures, don't hesitate to check out Fertri's greenhouses. There are many options, among which the following stand out: the tunnel greenhouse, straight walls tunnel greenhouse,  minitunnel greenhouse or the mini wide span greenhouse.