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Growing radishes is so common that there should be no secrets or unknown moments left. Everyone seems to know how to grow radishes juicy and tasty. It is planted in the country, on the balcony, even in the house on the windowsill, in the garden, in greenhouses and greenhouses. Even the technology of growing radishes in space is known, because it grew on the International Space Station. But here’s the trouble – sometimes instead of a wonderful root crop, he prefers to grow a flower arrow. And it happens that seemingly good care for radishes does not justify itself at all – the roots grow hard, dry, or, on the contrary, crack or become bitter. So how to properly care for this mysterious culture?
Oh right
Radish is an edible vegetable from the Cabbage (Cruciferous) family. Its closest relative is the radish, which is probably why all varieties have a sharp taste to a greater or lesser extent. We usually grow annual varieties, but there are also biennial varieties, when the seeds ripen only in the second year of vegetation.
Since we are most interested in the root crop, the cultivated varieties are divided according to the rate of maturation of this particular part of the plant.
There are ultra-early varieties that can be consumed as early as 2,5 or 3 weeks after sowing, early ones that ripen in 23-30 days, mid-ripening ones ripen 30-35 days after sowing, and late-ripening ones – after 36-45 days. Late varieties, as a rule, are sown in August, they ripen in autumn, and early ones are used for spring-summer cultivation.
A properly grown root crop has a pleasant, slightly spicy taste, crispy juicy white flesh and a different shape: a ball with a diameter of 2 cm or more, a flattened or elongated cylinder, and a spindle up to 10 cm long. Outside, it is usually colored red, orange , purple or yellow depending on the variety.
Radish is an indispensable ingredient of spring salad, it helps to restore immunity worn out in winter due to the presence in its composition of vitamins and microelements necessary for the body. Fiber and essential oils also do not stay idle, getting into our gastrointestinal tract. Radish has a mild choleretic agent, it boosts metabolism, removes excess fluid and toxins, stimulates the intestines, and stabilizes the amount of sugar. They say that with the regular use of this vegetable, the vessels acquire youthful elasticity, memory and well-being improve.
But these same qualities can spoil the well-being of people who have serious diseases of the duodenum, stomach, pancreas, liver or kidneys. In case of problems with these organs or with the thyroid gland, radishes should not be consumed too often, combined with other products or boiled.
This wonderful vegetable has been known since ancient times. Its name is translated from Latin as “root”, but greens are also eaten. The homeland of radish is considered to be Central Asia, from where it came to Europe in the XNUMXth century. He then looked like a white carrot, which did not bother the French chefs, and they know how to make food fashionable. A useful root crop was brought to Our Country by Peter I from Amsterdam.
Today, growing radishes not only in the country and in the garden, but even on an industrial scale in winter and summer around the world is considered a common and familiar matter. Breeders are working to create new varieties and hybrids that make growing radishes ever easier and more enjoyable.
Sowing technology
Large seeds are selected for sowing, and this is more important for a greenhouse than for an open garden. Since seed is not cheap, many gardeners harvest seeds themselves. They sift small seeds through a sieve with cells of 2-3 mm, the largest ones are selected for protected ground.
The soil for radishes should be light, nutritious and not acidic, it is best to prepare it for spring sowing in the fall. Immediately after harvesting potatoes (cucumbers, onions, garlic, tomatoes), which is the best predecessor of radishes, from the garden, you need to dig up the ground well, add compost or humus, at least 1 bucket per 1 sq. m. If the soil is acidic, then lime is added. How much it needs to be added depends on the degree of acidification. If the earth is heavy, then peat or sand is also added to it to make the soil in the garden lighter and more breathable.
In winter, the prepared land rests, and in the spring, before sowing, they dig it up again, apply mineral fertilizers, ash, if necessary (it also makes the soil more alkaline), level it, and mark the rows. Before laying the seeds, if this happens in winter or early spring, the rows are shed with very hot water. At such a time, radishes are sown under a film, or covered with a non-woven fabric to keep the heat of the day and at night.
Seeds are disinfected before sowing by soaking for 30 minutes with a bright solution of potassium permanganate. Some gardeners advise additionally treating them with special preparations to accelerate growth, but most often the radish sprouts well without it. Then you need to decompose the washed seeds and dry for as long as it takes so that they do not stick to your hands.
Usually, radishes are sown in rows, leaving up to 10 cm between them, and the seeds are laid out after 3–4 cm, but they can be sown in the nest method, leaving 5 cm between the seeds. They are deepened by 1–1,5 cm, and varieties with long root crops – by 1,5–2 cm. It is not worth placing seeds deeper in spring and summer, this will lengthen the germination time. But those brave owners who sow radishes in the fall deepen them by 3 cm so that the seeds do not accidentally germinate in winter.
In order not to suffer with small seeds above the garden, some experienced gardeners pre-glue the seeds with flour paste at the right distance to paper, for example, toilet paper or newsprint, and then only lay it out in the right place and sprinkle it with earth.
There is an opinion that it is better to rely on excellent germination and place one seed at a time than to sow them often, and then thin out, injuring the delicate roots of those plants that remain to grow, this will slow down growth, weaken the plant.
Sprinkling the seeds with earth, it is necessary to tamp it, so as to ensure its complete adherence to the surface of the seed, and then pour it well from a watering can with a small strainer – a divider.
Video “A little trick when planting radishes”
See what trick experienced gardeners use when planting radishes in a greenhouse in the country.
Care
Proper care of radishes involves the most common actions: it needs to be watered, fed, weeded, thinned out, protected from diseases and pests.
It is necessary to water the radish evenly and abundantly, since its root system is not very developed, and the main root grows from 10 to 30 cm, depending on the variety – this is the depth at which moisture should appear after watering. Therefore, after the emergence of seedlings, the earth is moistened by 5–7 cm, and then even deeper as it grows. Water as the soil dries out, usually it happens after 2 or 3 days, but strong wind and sun speed up this process, which means you will have to water more often, there are days in the summer in the country that you have to water twice – in the morning and in the evening.
If the ground is properly fertilized before planting, then the radish will not have to starve during its short growing season. But on depleted lands, agricultural technology includes fertilizing with organic fertilizers after germination. In dachas, top dressing is often combined with watering. Plants are watered with highly diluted slurry (ten-fold dilution) or bird droppings (twenty-fold dilution). In no case should you fertilize with fresh manure or undiluted bird droppings – this is detrimental to vegetables.
They say that radish roots are able to accumulate nitrates, so it is better not to allow uncontrolled fertilization of the garden. A good alternative can be watering with infusion, more precisely, a brew of chopped grass.
Radishes are watered with ash and tobacco infusion, so that the ash and tobacco remain on the leaves – this is done to prevent diseases and repel pests, such as slugs and snails. The most damaging is the cruciferous flea. Many gardeners prefer to simply cover the plants with a non-woven fabric for the duration of its departure. Timely weeding also protects plants from possible diseases and pests. You can also mulch the beds with peat or humus, compost – this will prevent weeds from growing, retain moisture and allow you to loosen the soil less often.
It is imperative to loosen the beds so that air has the opportunity to get to the roots. This should be done carefully so as not to damage the roots, but to a sufficient depth: 3-5 cm in the first week – one and a half, and then up to 10 cm.
You can grow radishes almost all year round, only in winter in greenhouses they turn on not only heating, but also lighting to extend daylight hours, and in summer they cover it with an opaque covering material to reduce it. In winter, it is quite possible to grow radishes at home, only if the room is not too hot. It grows well at an air temperature of 15–20 degrees, calmly survives frosts, but does not tolerate heat well. Therefore, early varieties are most often cultivated in the country, which are sown in early spring or even in winter in order to harvest before the summer heat sets in. But the harvest harvested in the middle of autumn is better stored, and sown, respectively, in August.
It is believed that the radish needs no more than 12 hours of daylight, so it will not produce a crop in the middle of summer. But it is known that in the cool summer in Karelia, it grows wonderfully without shelter, and yet there it is light around the clock. How much light is needed at different air temperatures is decided differently for each region.
Problems that may arise
With proper agricultural technology, no problems should arise. But if you allow a short-term drying of the soil, then no matter how much you water later, the roots will be hard and fibrous, and if the drying is long or repeated, the plant will stop growing the root crop, but will throw out the arrow.
Early bolting can occur if thickened plantings are not thinned out, or plants simply will not grow root crops due to lack of space.
Shooting threatens plants if the air temperature rises above 25 degrees, and the sun does not set for more than 12 hours. In the industrial cultivation of radishes for seeds, they are left to grow, not interested in root crops, in the summer with rising temperatures and lengthening daylight hours. But if we do not want to spoil the taste of root crops, then in no case should we allow the radish to bloom. Even forming only an arrow of a peduncle, the plant ceases to direct all the forces and useful substances to the formation of a root crop.
The tops, and not the parts of interest to us, will actively grow with an excess of nitrogen, which should not be allowed either.
Video “How to get a good harvest of radishes”
This video will tell you about the technology of growing a good harvest of radishes.