All You Need To Know About Growing Radish

You grow radish at home and have questions that need to be answered in this regard? Great!

This article is exactly for you since I will answer all of your questions about growing radishes in the following chapters.

Time & Duration

When to grow radish from seed?

The best time to grow radish from seed is in early spring. However, since radishes don’t take too long to grow them from seed to harvest, you can also start later in the year.

Just make sure that you grow radish in the main season between spring and early summer to get the best yields and the best growth behavior of your plants.

Does radish grow year-round?

While it is possible to grow radish year-round, you should rather grow radishes in the main season instead of growing them in fall or winter months since you would just not get the same yields during off-season.

Moreover, if you want to harvest multiple batches of radish per year, you will also have to plant seedlings multiple times.

Hence, while it is possible to grow radishes all year long in theory, you can avoid plenty of unnecessary work by just growing them during early spring and harvest them when climatic conditions are optimal.

Does radish grow fast?

Radish grows relatively fast compared to most other garden vegetables you could grow.

While melons, pumpkins, tomatoes and many more will take at least 3 months to grow from seed, you will be able to harvest radishes within the first months after you planted the seeds.

Hence, radish is a great plant to grow for impatient people who don’t want to wait several months to see the fruits of their labor.

How long does it take to grow radish?

While experienced gardeners are often able to grow radishes within three weeks, it may take you between 4 and 6 weeks to grow radishes from seed to harvest.

However, don’t be discouraged if it takes you a little bit longer.

This is perfectly fine and you should rather enjoy the growing process instead of just waiting for the yields.

Consequently, the longer it takes you to grow radishes, the longer you can enjoy caring about your plants.

Does radish grow back every year?

No, radishes will not grow back. Instead, you will just harvest the whole radish plant and dispose of the plant material.

Hence, if you want to get radish yields for many years, you will have to sow seeds every year again.

How long do radish plants live?

Radish plants will usually live around one month until you will harvest them.

However, if you don’t harvest your plants, they will grow and stay alive for many months and only decay once the first strong winter frost comes along.

How long does it take until radish flowers?

Radishes only flower if temperatures get quite warm and you should have already harvested radishes once this happens since the quality of your crops will suffer if it gets too warm outside.

Hence, if you grow radishes in early spring, you will likely never see your plants flower and for a good reason.

Can you grow radish in fall?

Growing radish in fall is not a good idea since temperatures are often still too warm and radishes just grow best with rather cool temperatures.

Consequently, if you really want to grow radish in fall, make sure to wait until temperatures drop so that your radish plants will produce decent crops.

Can you grow radish in winter?

Growing radishes in winter is not the best idea since winter frost will just let your radish plants decay.

Hence, instead of planting radish in winter, you should wait until next spring or plant them in late fall to provide optimal climatic conditions for your plants.

Location & Climate

Will radish grow in shade?

Although radish grows best with cool temperatures, radish plants still like the sun and growing them in full shade is just not a good idea if you want to get good and fast growth behavior and decent yields from your plants.

Will radish grow in partial shade?

Partial shade is a great environment to grow radishes. On the one hand, your plants will get sufficient sunlight.

On the other hand, your plants will also not be exposed to direct sunlight all day long and will therefore also not have to deal with excessive heat.

Consequently, your plants will be able to grow in a decent manner and will likely provide you with good yields.

Does radish grow best in full sun?

While you could try to grow radish in full sun, this is usually not the best idea since radish doesn’t like the heat and your plants will grow better if you provide them with a healthy mix of sun and shade.

Will radish tolerate frost?

While radish is not as sensitive to the cold as other plants, it still doesn’t like frost at all and you should therefore only plant radish outdoors once you don’t expect strong frost in your region anymore.

Do you have to protect radish from the sun?

To protect radish from excessive sun exposure, make sure to grow your radish plants in a half-shady spot in your garden or on your balcony where your plants are protected from sun exposure and heat in a completely natural manner.

How much space do you need to grow radish?

Since radishes stay rather small and don’t need lots of space, each plant will not need more than one square foot of space to grow well.

Of course, you can also provide more space for your plants if you have a big garden and are not constrained in this regard.

The more space you provide to your plants, the better they will grow on average.

Will radish grow indoors?

Growing radish indoors is not a good idea since radish plants grow best with cool temperatures and room temperature will often be too warm and your plants will just not grow well and will also not deliver decent yields.

Can you grow radish without a garden or balcony?

It is pretty hard to grow radish if you don’t have a balcony or a garden since you would have to grow radish indoors and this implies that you would not be able to provide the right climatic conditions to your plants.

Hence, if you live in a flat without a balcony right now, I suggest you wait with growing radish until you move to a place where you can grow radish outdoors.

Can you grow radish in small flats?

Apart from the temperature issue that arises by growing radishes indoors, you will also run into other problems if you try to grow radish in small flats since your plants will just take away lots of precious space from you and you should therefore wait with growing radish or other plants at home until you move to a bigger place.

Can you grow radish in an aquarium?

If you don’t have a pot at home, you could also try to grow radishes in an aquarium.

However, if you fill your aquarium with potting soil and plant radishes in it, you will often not be able to assure that excess water will be able to run off properly and this can lead to a state where the roots of your plants will rot.

Hence, only plant radishes in aquariums if you really don’t have better options.

Can you grow radish in a terrarium?

It is also a pretty bad idea to grow radishes in terrariums.

Similar to growing them in aquariums, you should rather rely on flower pots instead of terrariums to grow radishes since you will just be able to provide much better and more natural growing conditions to your plants.

Can you grow radish in a bucket?

You could also grow radishes in a bucket. In fact, buckets can be good substitutes for conventional flower pots as long as you make sure to drill some small holes into the bottom of those buckets so that water can run off properly.

After that, just fill those buckets with potting soil and you will be good to go.

Can you grow radish in bags?

Growing radishes in bags is also possible as long as you choose fabric bags over plastic bags so that water can run off.

Moreover, fabric bags are also much stabler compared to plastic bags and can therefore be a good and interesting alternative to just using flower pots from the store.

Can you grow radish in hanging baskets?

It is also possible to grow radishes in hanging baskets.

Since radish plants stay relatively small and crops will not have a heavy weight, hanging baskets are in fact suitable to grow radishes in a decent manner.

Can you grow radish in rainy climatic zones?

You will be perfectly fine with growing radish in rainy climatic zones since radishes grow best in cool outdoor environments.

Hence, growing radish in rainy climates is much easier than growing them in the desert.

Can you grow radish in tropical climatic zones?

Since radish plants don’t like the heat, you will have a hard time growing radish in the tropics.

While the plant material may develop quite well, you will often just not get high-quality crops under those warm climatic conditions.

Can you grow radish in regions with permafrost?

While radishes like cool weather, too much of it will do more harm than good and permafrost is definitely not the right environment to grow radishes in.

Hence, if you live in one of those extremely cold regions, you will just not be able to grow radish in a decent manner and should therefore rather get it from the store instead of growing it at home.

Does radish grow on vines?

No, radish doesn’t grow on vines. While radish plants grow above the ground, radish crops will develop underneath the soil surface similar to onions.

Does radish grow underground?

While radish crops grow underground, the plant material will grow above the soil surface and for harvesting radishes, you will therefore have to remove the whole plant from the soil.

What is the best orientation for growing radishes?

Radishes grow best if you plant them in west or east orientation since your plants will get a healthy mix between sun and shade.

It may also be possible to grow radish in south orientation where your plants will get more direct sunlight.

Just avoid planting radish in north orientation since your plants would just not get sufficient sunlight.

Can you grow radish with indirect sunlight?

Growing radishes with indirect sunlight is pretty difficult. In greenhouses or indoors, radishes will often just have too high temperatures to deal with and those high temperatures greatly harm the crops of your plants.

Hence, growing radishes directly outdoors would be much better in terms of growth behavior and the overall yield you will be able to expect.

Where do radishes grow best?

Radishes grow best in your garden outdoors where your plants get sufficient space so that they don’t have to compete for nutrients with each other.

Moreover, also make sure that you choose a partially sunny spot so that your plants get enough sunlight but still don’t have to grow in the heat for too long.

Where to grow radish in pots?

If you want to grow radish in pots, you should place those pots in a half-shady spot on your porch so that your plants are protected and still get sufficient fresh air to grow well.

Where to grow radish indoors?

Growing radish indoors is pretty difficult since room temperatures are often too warm for radishes to produce decent crops.

If you still want to try to grow radish indoors, make sure to choose a cold room inside your home to maximize the chances for your radishes to develop decent fruits.

Can you grow radish in water?

Growing radishes in pure water is not possible. Instead, you have to offer them an environment from which your plants can get sufficient nutrients from.

Potting soil from the garden center is perfect in this regard since it contains enough nutrients and will also have the right acidity level for your radishes to grow well.

Can you grow radish with LED lights?

Using artificial lighting may also help you growing radishes in a decent manner, especially if you try to grow them indoors.

However, using LEDs or other forms of artificial lighting also implies high costs and is also pretty bad for our environment.

Thus, instead of using additional lighting, make sure to use as much natural lighting as possible.

Can you grow radish in dark rooms?

Growing radish in dark rooms will not work out since your plants will just not get enough sunlight and will therefore not grow well at all.

Hence, instead of growing radishes in dark rooms, make sure to choose a room where your plants can get sufficient sunlight but that is still cool enough so that your plants can develop crops in a healthy manner.

Soil Requirements

Can you reuse soil for growing radish the next year?

Reusing soil for many future years of growing is perfectly fine as long as you loosen it from time to time and also add some fertilizer so that your radish plants get enough nutrients to grow in a decent manner.

Does radish grow well in waterlogged soil?

Radish doesn’t grow well in waterlogged soil at all. Instead, your plants may even decay since the roots of your plants may start to rot.

Consequently, make sure that water can run off properly and water puddles underneath the soil surface will not become an issue.

Does radish grow best in acidic, neutral or alkaline soil?

Radishes grow best in environments with a soil pH between 6.2 and 7, which means slightly acidic to neutral soil.

Most potting soil mixes will fulfill those requirements and if you are not sure in this regard, you can get advice from your local gardening professionals who will easily be able to sell you the best soil for growing radishes.

Will radish grow in sandy soil?

While a certain fraction of sand in the soil will not be harmful to radish plants, too much of it may do more harm than good.

Hence, make sure that you use a balanced soil mix instead of relying on a sandy soil mix to provide the best growing conditions to your plants.

Will radish grow in clay soil?

Radishes don’t grow well in clay soil since it is just not loose enough and your crops will not be able to develop in a healthy manner.

Moreover, also water may not be able to run off properly and waterlogging may become an issue.

Will radish grow in compost?

Compost can be a great choice when it comes to growing radish.

You can also just mix compost and conventional potting soil from the store to get a decent soil mix on which not only radishes will grow well, but also many other garden plants can grow in a decent manner.

Plant Care

Does radish need a lot of water?

Radish plants don’t need lots of water. Since those plants stay rather small, watering them once a week will often be enough.

Hence, it is also quite economical to grow radishes since you will just not have to spend too much water on your growing project.

Do you have to water radish on a regular basis?

If you grow radishes in your garden and your plants have access to rainwater underneath the soil surface, there will not be any need to water your plants during rainy periods of the year.

Only during dry periods, you will have to water your plants from time to time. Just adjust your watering schedule to the conditions outdoors and you will be perfectly fine.

Should you use filtered or unfiltered water to water radish plants?

Using unfiltered instead of filtered water for radishes is usually better since you can provide more natural conditions to your plants and you will also not have to make any effort to filter your water and can spend your time on more important things instead.

Should you use rainwater to water radish?

You could also just collect rainwater and use it for watering your plants during dry periods of the growing season.

You may want to get a big rain barrel so that you can collect water not only for your radishes, but also for various other garden plants you might want to grow.

When to stake radish?

There is no need to stake radish plants.

They will stay quite small and will therefore not be that vulnerable to wind.

Hence, just let them grow and let nature do its work and you will be perfectly fine in this regard.

What to tie radish with?

If you really want to stake radishes, you should tie your plants with cords to sticks that you place next to each plant.

However, as mentioned before, there is just no need to take radish plants and you should not worry about it at all.

What to do when radish leaves turn yellow?

If the leaves of your radish plants turn yellow, there is usually something wrong with your watering or fertilizing behavior.

In such a case, try to slow down your watering schedule and also make sure to add some fertilizer and wait until the leaves of your plants turn back green again.

How to protect radish against wind?

If you want to protect your radish plants from storms, make sure to place sticks next to each plant and tie your plants with cord to those sticks so that they become resistant against heavy winds.

However, in most regions, there will be no need to protect radish plants in this regard since they will become stable enough also without your intervention.

How to protect radish against heavy rain?

You don’t have to protect radish plants against rain. Just let them grow in your garden in a natural manner and you will be perfectly fine in this regard.

How to protect radish against hail?

Protecting radishes against hail is pretty easy as long as you grow radish in pots. Just move your pots to a protected area on your porch.

If you grow radish directly in your garden, you may want to get some resistant foliage cover that you can temporarily place near your plants to protect them from hail.

Should you pinch out radish?

Radishes don’t produce lots of plant material and this means that pinching them would do more harm than good.

Therefore, instead of pinching out radishes, let them grow in a completely natural manner.

Where to pinch radish?

If you want to pinch radish plants for your own reasons, at least make sure that you don’t do it inside your four walls but rather pinch your plants outdoors so that you keep out pests and dirt.

Can you grow radish without fertilizer?

Radish plants don’t need lots of nutrients to grow well.

Hence, if you provide a decent soil mix right from the beginning, you will often not have to add any additional fertilizer to the soil during your whole growing project.

Should you cover your radish plants to protect them against frost?

You should never cover radish plants since you would alter lighting conditions in an adverse manner.

Instead of covering your plants, make sure that you only plant them outdoors once you don’t expect frost anymore.

How to get rid of moss when growing radish?

If you see moss on the soil surface, this is usually a sign that the soil is too wet.

Thus, make sure to water your plants less often and the moss will go away in a completely natural manner soon.

Pests & Diseases

Can you grow radish without using pesticides?

It is definitely possible to grow radishes without using any pesticides. Just make sure that you provide optimal growing conditions so that your plants can grow well and become resistant to pests soon.

Should you use natural or chemical pesticides for radish plants?

If pest infestation is too severe, you may want to use pesticides to keep your plants alive.

In such a case, make sure to use organic pesticides instead of chemical alternatives to make your growing project as organic as possible and also to protect our environment at the same time.

What are the most common radish pests?

Cutworms, aphids and flea beetles are just a few of the most common garden pests you will have to deal with when growing radish.

There are many more of those small annoying friends which you have to keep away from your plants.

How to protect radish against pests?

Getting rid of garden pests is pretty simple if you know what you are doing.

If you want to learn more about who to keep away pests from your plants, make sure to check out how to get rid of radish pests and diseases and also my pest removal guides.

Growing Difficulty

Are radishes good plants to grow for children?

Radishes are perfect plants to grow with children since it will not take you long to grow radish from seed to harvest and your children will therefore stay focused and will not lose interest in your growing project.

Are radishes good plants for a school project?

Growing radish can also be a great school project since kids can learn about how to produce food and that it also takes some effort to do so.

In turn, those kids will likely value their food much more and will also care more about our environment in general.

Is growing radish difficult?

Growing radish is not difficult. In fact, it is much easier to grow radish than it is to grow most other garden vegetables and growing radish is therefore perfect for you in case you are still a beginner in growing veggies at home.

Harvest

What color do ripe radishes have?

Ripe radishes often have a red color. However, some radish varieties are also just white.

Hence, make sure to harvest radishes once they reach the color and the size they should have according to the description of the seed vendor you got your seeds from.

Can you save seeds from radish?

You will only be able to save radish seeds once your plants have flowered.

However, at this point in time, your radish crops will often no longer be suitable for consumption.

Consequently, if you want to grow the best crops, you will just not be able to save radish seeds and will rather have to get your seeds from the garden center or from an internet vendor.

Can radish get overripe?

Radishes can also get overripe. Hence, make sure to harvest your crops in time to get the best flavor and the most nutrients out of your plants.

What parts of a radish plant can you eat?

Not only will you be able to eat radish crops that you already know from the store, but you could also eat the plant material and make nice salads or pesto out of it.

Additional Questions

Is growing radish expensive?

Growing radish is fairly cheap. If you have a garden, you just need to get some radish seeds and you can grow radishes at virtually no cost.

If you don’t have a garden, you may have to get some pots and some potting soil which can cost some money but growing radishes and other plants at home will still be a rather cheap hobby.

Is growing radish fun?

Growing radish and other plants at home is pretty interesting since you will be able to see progress fairly quickly and it can also be quite a lot of fun to produce and harvest your own crops.

Does radish grow on trees?

Radish doesn’t grow on trees but instead grows on small plants.

While the plant itself grows above the ground, radish crops grow below the soil surface.

Does radish grow from flowers?

While radish plants can flower, flowers are not the preconditions for getting radish crops and therefore, radish doesn’t grow from flowers but rather grows below the soil surface while flowers form on the plant that grows above the ground.

How many radish plants should you grow per pot?

Depending on the size of the pots you want to use, you can grow multiple radish plants per pot.

The bigger the pot, the more plants you will be able to grow.

Which animals feed on radish?

Mice and squirrels are well-known for feeding on radish plants. Also snails often try to get their share.

Hence, make sure to use slug fences or other protective measures to keep away those hungry intruders.

Will your pets eat radish plants?

Some of your pets, for example rabbits, will love to feed on radish plants.

Consequently, if you keep those pets at home, make sure to separate your pets from your plants to avoid any issues in this regard.

Is radish toxic for pets?

While radish will not be toxic for most pets, you should still keep away your pets from your plants if you want to be able to harvest decent crops once the time has come.

Why radish grows small?

Radishes usually grow small if you don’t provide enough space or nutrients to them.

Moreover, they also don’t produce big crops if you grow them in too warm environments.

Thus, to get better yields in the future, make sure to grow radish in early spring when it is still cool outside and that you also optimize the growing conditions.

What to grow with radish?

If you want to get more information about what to grow with radishes, you should also have a look at the best radish companion plants.

Can you grow radish from radish?

It is also possible to grow radish from radishes. However, it is still rather difficult and I therefore recommend you just rely on seeds from the garden center since it will also be more economical instead of using whole radish fruits for it.

Can you grow radish without seeds?

Instead of growing radish from seeds, you could also grow them from seedlings.

You can just get those radish seedlings from the garden center if you want to save some time and effort in this regard.

Do you have to pollinate radish by hand?

No, you don’t have to pollinate radish plants by hand.

In fact, pollination is not even needed for the production of radish crops and you therefore don’t have to worry in this regard at all.

How to grow big radishes?

The higher your yields should be, the better you have to care for your plants.

Consequently, if you really want to maximize your yields, you also have to provide optimal growing conditions.

This means offering high-quality soil and also enough space for your plants.

You should also water your plants whenever they need it and make every day count to grow radish in the best possible manner.

Can you grow radish commercially?

For growing radish commercially, you would need lots of equipment and farmland.

You would also have to enter a pretty competitive market and chances of failing would be high.

Hence, instead of growing radish commercially, it would be much better to grow it just for fun instead.

Can you grow radish from fresh seeds?

Growing radish from fresh seeds is perfectly fine.

In fact, germination rates will often be better with fresh seeds compared to dried seeds.

Can you grow radish from dried seeds?

You can also just use dried seeds from the garden center to grow radishes at home.

This will be the most convenient option since you can just order those seeds whenever you want to start your growing project.

Can you grow radish from rotten fruits?

You could also try to grow radish from rotten fruits. However, chances of success are rather low and it may also be pretty unhygienic.

Can you grow radish from cuttings?

Growing radishes from cuttings is pretty difficult since radish plants stay relatively small and taking away plant material can greatly harm those plants.

Consequently, instead of growing radish from cuttings, you should rather grow them from seed instead.

Should you use a radish growing kit for growing radish?

You can also just use a radish growing kit to grow radish at home.

However, in my opinion, those kits are often just not worth the money and if you are serious about growing radish and other plants at home, you should not rely on growing kits but rather get proper equipment instead.

Do radishes grow in the wild?

Radish varieties also grow in the wild. However, quite often, those varieties look totally different from what you know as radish from the store since those wild species have developed without any human intervention for quite a long time.

Should you talk to your radish plants?

While some people claim that talking to your radish plants will improve their growth behavior, I am not convinced of it at all and from my experience, you should rather use your time on more important things instead.

Should you plant radish at half moon or full moon?

It doesn’t matter at what moon phase you plant radish seeds.

As long as you follow all the advice on my blog, you will do perfectly fine with growing radish and other plants even if you don’t care about moon phases at all.

I hope you found the answer to the questions you were looking for.

If you want to learn even more about growing radish in general, you should also check out my radish grower’s guide where I show you how to grow radish from seed to harvest step-by-step.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radish

Own research and experience

About the Author

My name is Andreas and I’m really passionate about our environment and also about growing plants. In fact, I have grown several different plants over many years. I love to see my plants grow and also always try new things to improve my overall conditions at home.

In my blog posts, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can become successful in growing various different plants and improving your home as well, even though you might still be a beginner right now.