Growing radishes step by step

Radish is one of the fastest growing plants and it is an ideal if you want to involve your children in gardening, and not only because they will see seedlings soon, but they will enjoy the harvest pretty soon. Growing radishes is not difficult but you need to follow few general rules.

Sowing seeds

Loosen the soil before sowing. You can sow in a flower pot and move it inside or you can sow outside. A good idea is to add a layer of matured compost but it is not necessary. You may start planting outside about two weeks after the last frost. No sooner. Plant seeds about 1 cm deep. Seeds are very small so, sprinkle them in the prepared rows. You can mix seeds with a little bit of sand to increase spacing. When seeds start growing you should separate them by thinning and you should create about two to three centimetres of space for each seedling.

Photo: Pixabay

A growing tip

Since radishes grow very fast, you can plant them between slower-growing plants (zucchini, squash, cucumbers, or peppers). You can do that because when these plants need more room to grow, you just remove the radishes as they should be ready for harvest anyway. There are different varieties of radishes and some are more suitable for early sowing and harvesting while others grow throughout the summer or even at the beginning of fall.

Seed germination

Radish seeds usually germinate within three to four days after planting, but if you sowed in a cold soil, it may take a little longer – up to ten days. Once true leaves appear (small leaves of mature radishes), you can start thinning. Always leave the strongest seedlings in the ground and give them enough space – 2 cm between plants.

Is fertilization necessary?

This largely depends on the type of soil you have but usually, fertilization is not necessary, but if you want to fertilize, you do it only once – radishes grow very quickly. Use a fertilizer with a low nitrogen content to promote root growth.

Harvest

You should definitely harvest before radishes starts blooming. If you fail to do that, roots will lose taste quickly. It is better to harvest sooner than later to make sure that radishes retain juicy and pungent. Radishes are usually harvested about four weeks after planting. You should check the size of the root while harvesting and you can do that by gently wiping the soil around the top of the root. The ideal radish size is around two centimetres. Harvest large radishes by pulling on the lower part of leaves.

Source: https://www.urbangardengal.com/radish-plant-growth-stages/

Preview photo: Pixabay