One of the most popular summer vegetables, radish, only at first glance seems undemanding. In order for it to be juicy, piquant and vitamin-rich, it must be grown in the homestead following certain rules. If you do not comply with the specified conditions, you will get a bitter or pest-damaged vegetable, which will simply have to be thrown into the trash. Let’s analyze the rules of how to grow radishes at home.
Optimal terms
It takes 18 to 40 days for radish to ripen, and the earliest varieties are more cold-resistant. The general terms are stretched – from the beginning of April to the end of May and further, with proper care, it is possible to sow in the soil until September.
Radish is usually one of the first to be sent to the beds – because it is not afraid of frosts down to -4 °C. But surviving, it germinates sluggishly at this temperature. Ideally, the air should steadily warm up to +14…+18 °С. Then the seedlings appear after 3 days and even without preliminary treatment with a growth stimulator.
Arrangement of beds
They are created in a wind-protected area with moisture-rich, loose soil with a pH in the range of 7-7.4. It should not be acidic – otherwise the radish will get a hernia, or heavy clay, because then the radishes will be small and dry.
Regarding radish, the following soil improvement options are possible:
- clay is dug, adding sand, 1 bucket per square meter. m;
- acidic soil is deacidified in autumn by adding dolomite flour at the rate of 0.5 l per square meter. m;
- before sowing the seeds, the ground is dug with the bayonet of a shovel, breaking large lumps, and stones are selected, and then the beds are additionally loosened to a “fluffy” state to a depth of 20-30 cm.
Tomatoes, potatoes and cucumbers are considered the best precursor crops. Radishes cannot be planted after their cruciferous relatives, which include, in particular, cabbage, mustard and radish.
Radish can be sown as a companion to crops that mature later – it is removed before it starts to interfere with them. These are carrots and parsnips. And the neighborhood with onions and garlic is useful for radish because they scare off its main pest – cruciferous fleas.
Sun and Radish
In spring and autumn, radishes are sown in the sunniest part of the country plot – so that it can gain the mandatory 10-12 hours of daylight.
If you want to treat yourself to them in the summer, a problem arises – the daylight hours are extended to 13-14 hours, and the air temperature exceeds +25 °C. In such conditions, the radish begins to actively release arrows, forming shriveled tiny root crops.
In order not to give up an appetizing harvest, it is recommended to choose non-shooting varieties, and also to cover the radish plantings with non-woven dark material every day, for example from 7 pm to 7-9 am, to shorten the daylight hours.
Mandatory watering
Radish is the second garden “water bread” after cabbage. It is the lack of moisture that is to blame for the fact that root crops ripen flabby, bitter, not at all piquant, but disgusting, and not suitable for cooking any dish.
On average, beds are watered with it once every 2-3 days, but in hot and dry summer it is better to water radishes twice a day – in the morning and in the evening, spending up to 10 liters per square meter. m.
So that the plant does not suffer a “shock”, the water must be warm +20…+25 °С. And in order not to wash the radish from the bed, it is distributed not with a stream, but through a watering can or a hose with a spray nozzle.
Application of fertilizers
Experienced gardeners advise not to dust radish beds with wood ash, not to mention applying it to the ground. The consequences of using ash are diverse – radishes bloom rapidly, crack, lose color pigments, and ripen without taste.
Radish justifies its reputation as an undemanding culture by the fact that it can do without fertilizers at all on fertile soils. And for not the most chic ones, herbal infusion is often enough, for example – from chopped nettles. It is simply filled with water, a little chicken droppings are added, and after 1-2 weeks, after diluting the infusion with clean water 1:2, water the vegetable.
Of the store-bought products, the “Agricola 4” solution, designed specifically for root crops, demonstrates high efficiency. It is applied regularly, starting with sowing seeds and stopping 2 weeks before harvesting.
Protection from pests and diseases
Radishes are most often attacked by the following parasites:
- slugs – eat the tops of root crops, drive them out by sprinkling the beds with white mustard powder;
- cruciferous fleas – dusting with tobacco dust effectively helps;
- cabbage aphid – it is wisest to focus on measures to prevent it, often weeding weeds and applying phosphorus-potassium fertilizers to radish leaves.
In addition to the mentioned hernia, radish is often affected by gray rot, which is particularly dangerous because it can spread to other crops. Treatment with Bordeaux liquid and timely application of potash fertilizers help well against it.
Summing up, we can say that all the listed tips on growing radishes can be successfully used even by a novice gardener.