Growing Radish with Video Tutorial Courtesy GIY Ireland

Radish

Why Grow It?

Try eating a raw radish with a bit of butter and some seasoning and you have all the reasons you need to grow them.  Crunchy, peppery and delicious.  They are tremendously easy to grow and mature quickly so there’s a quick return – ideal therefore if you are just starting out.  Don’t dismiss them as a one-trick veg though – there are dozens of varieties including turnip-sized winter radishes which can be stored over the winter.

Sowing

They can be sown pretty much anywhere – often thrown in among other veg and even in partial shade.  Always sow directly in the soil – they don’t fare well when transplanted.  Sow a small number of seeds regularly (every two to three weeks) from April on.  Sow thinly 1cm deep and thin to 3cm apart.

Growing

Water regularly in dry weather but don’t over-water as it will encourage too much leafy growth.

Harvesting

They will be ready to eat withing a month which is one of the fastest growing times of all vegetables.  Don’t let them get too big as they become overly peppery and tend towards tasting “woody” when too large. 

Recommended Varieties

• Short Top Forcing

Problems

Slugs can nibble at radishes but they are rarely so badly eaten as to be inedible.

GIY Tips

1. Fast growing radishes are often sown between rows of slower growing vegetables as they can be harvested without upsetting the other veg.  They are a brassica however, so ideally you should keep them in the brassica group in your rotation plan.
2. Radish tops can be used in soups.