Growing Radish

Raphanus sativas : Brassicaceae / the mustard or cabbage family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
P P P P P P P P P P P P

(Best months for growing Radish in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 8°C and 30°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 3 - 5 cm apart
  • Harvest in 5-7 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Chervil, cress,lettuce, leeks, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes
  • Avoid growing close to: Hyssop, gherkins
  • Cherry radish
  • French Breakfast radishes

Small, spicy tasting root vegetable usually round but some longer varieties. Available in a range of colours between red and white.

Very easy to grow. Good for a child's first garden as seedlings appear in two or three days. Sow between other vegetables as they will mark the rows until the slower germinating plants appear.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Radish

Wash well and remove leaves and roots.
Use raw in salads or on their own with bread and butter.

Your comments and tips

01 Oct 23, Hosea (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Hi, I sowed some white radish in the end of July. Now they are blooming but roots are very small. Will the roots continue to grow? and what should I do for them?
11 Oct 19, Danny (New Zealand - temperate climate)
why are my radish going to seed? Have very big top and no radish.. have done for about 3 years .
14 Oct 19, anon (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
If they have very big leafy tops you are over fertilising BIG TIME. Plant radish after a leafy crop so that a lot of the N has been used. My experience is to grow radish into winter -sub tropical.
03 Nov 08, Eugenia (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Does anyone know why some of my radishes are splitting? Only some came out perfect.
01 Dec 12, Ruth (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
The most likely reason is that you have left them in the ground too long.
07 Aug 08, amy maloney (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
tips for growing radishes?

A better suggestion is a Styrofoam box used for corn or zucchini - if you can find bigger boxes the better - you can grow more at a time. Go to Foodworks, IGA or any supermarket and ask if they have any. Put newspaper, shade cloth or bubble wrap on the bottom - then about 25 mm of small pebble (the beach) - then another layer of paper, shade cloth or bubble wrap with some holes in it. Mix up some soil, sand, compost/manure and potting mix/seed raising mix. Put that in the box and give a good watering. Plant the radish and sprinkle some soil/ potting mix/seed raising mix over the radish. Keep out of the sun until they germinate or put some shade cloth or something similar over them until they germinate. With this free draining soil and shallow soil depth they will need watering each day and plenty of sun. Have 2-3-4 boxes and have a succession of plantings. This method can be also used to grow lettuce and baby spinach - plant very densely and cut the young leaves about 25-50 mm up the plant and they will reshoot - multiply cuttings. You can buy seeds on the internet 100-200 seeds for $1.

- Mike

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. GardenGrow is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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