Permapotes

Radish

Radish: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar

Radish, generally known by the botanical name Raphanus sativus, belongs to the cabbage family, Brassicaceae, alongside cabbages and turnips. It is valued for its fleshy underground part, crunchy texture and more or less peppery flavour. The word radish nevertheless covers very different forms: a small pink salad radish is only one possibility among vegetables produced by this plant.

Salad radishes have a swollen part that may be round, oval or elongated. The skin can be red, pink, white or purple, sometimes with a white tip. Beneath the skin the flesh is often white, although some cultivars show other shades. Above ground, the plant carries a cluster of green leaves that are variously divided and rough-textured. The vegetable's appearance therefore depends on the cultivar as well as its size.

Winter radishes are generally larger and slower growing. Black radish is a familiar example. Daikon and other Asian radishes include long white forms, but are not limited to that outline. Differences in growth explain why a period of three to six weeks cannot describe every radish. Some types are grown mainly for their young edible seed pods rather than for a swollen underground part. Their crop offers another texture and a related peppery flavour.

In cooking, salad radishes add crunch and a peppery note to fresh dishes. Larger forms can also feature in cooked dishes, soups and stir-fried vegetables. Cooking changes the texture and often softens the sharpness. Tender leaves are edible too and can contribute to vegetable preparations when their texture suits the chosen use. Their presence is a reminder that the familiar radish root is not the plant's only food use.

When the plant flowers, it develops branching stems with small, four-petalled flowers, usually white to pinkish or purplish. These precede elongated fruits containing the seeds. This stage changes a radish's silhouette substantially: it does not remain a small cluster of leaves just above soil level indefinitely.

Crunchiness and flavour intensity vary with the cultivar and growing conditions. A radish may become fibrous or hollow as it ages, but not all types behave identically. In your garden, the group's interest lies in its range of colours, dimensions and uses, from small fresh vegetables to larger radishes for cooking.

Radish
Radish
Characteristics
  • Lifecycle : Annual
  • Exposure : Partial Shade
  • Frost Hardiness : Frost Resistant
  • Cultivation Difficulty : Easy
  • Mature height : 15 cm
Sowing & Planting
  • Greenhouse crops : Unheated greenhouse
  • Greenhouse Growing : Not Required
  • Sowing Depth : 1 cm
  • Plant Spacing : 5 cm
  • Row Spacing : 20 cm
Maintenance
  • Maintenance : Low
  • Water Requirements : Moderate
Other characteristics
  • Soil Type : Humus-rich
  • Soil pH Preference : Neutral
  • Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Disease Sensitivity : Low
  • Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Pollination : Insect-pollinated
  • Propagation : Sowing