How to Grow Radishes

Radishes add crunch and colour to salads and are very easy to grow in the VegTrug. They can handle most soil types and that fiery colour means kids will love seeing the results.

The small red spherical are perhaps the most commonly known, but there’s a range of other radishes to choose from too. Just sow the large seeds in drills and simply pick them when they are ripe. They’ll be ready in just a few weeks.

Read more on how to grow radishes below.

Sow a few radish seeds every few weeks throughout the spring and summer and you’ll have a good supply throughout the season.

Plant your seeds on a dry day and in soil that’s been raked thoroughly. Big clumps will cause problems for the emerging seedlings.

Aim for short drills that are about 1cm deep. Sow by hand and space about 3cm apart. Then gently cover with soul and water.

The different varieties can be sown and harvested at different times of year. Any early sown radishes will need to be sown in warmed soil and covered to protect from frost. If you’re growing in a VegTrug you can use a frame cover.

You can easily have a season-long supply once you know how to grow radishes.

Because they grow and mature fast, some gardeners plant radishes in between slower growing crops.  Not only do they help stave off weeds, radishes can act as row markers. They’ll be pulled before they have any effect on the main growers.

If they’re growing too close together, thin out any seedlings as soon as possible and make sure your radishes are well watered and that the soil retains moisture. Without enough water the roots can split. 

Slugs and snails will find your radishes tasty. You can cover them with a net or mesh or grow under cover in a VegTrug. They find the young leaves especially appealing, so make sure your add any defences as soon as you’ve planted the seeds.

Flea beetle is a small beetle that appears in spring and peaks in midsummer. They jumps when disturbed and if your radishes have this, you’ll see small holes in the leaves.

Their larvae hatch at the bottom of the plants and eat the roots.

Growing under a mesh is the best way to prevent flea beetles. 

You’ll enjoy radishes best when they are young. Harvest them when the roots are around 2.5cm across. Just lift as and when you want radishes in your salad, but if they’re left too long the summer varieties can taste bitter. If you’ve sown a winter variety, these can be left in the ground or stored over winter. Placing the radishes in a sealed plastic bag and in a cool place, such as a fridge, will help them fresh for a couple of weeks.

How to grow radishes is part of the VegTrug Grower’s Guide.