Secrets of growing radishes

About radish

Radish is an edible vegetable in the Cabbage (Cruciferous) family. Its closest relative is the radish, which is probably why the pungent taste is more or less present in all varieties. We usually grow annual varieties, but there are also biennial varieties, when the seeds ripen only in the second year of the growing season.

Since we are most interested in the root crop, 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 - in 36-45 days. Late varieties, as a rule, are sown in August, they ripen in autumn, and the early ones are used for spring-summer cultivation.

A properly grown root vegetable has a pleasant, slightly pungent taste, crispy, juicy white pulp and various shapes: a ball with a diameter of 2 cm, 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 a spring salad; it helps to restore the immunity weakened in winter due to the presence of vitamins and microelements necessary for the body. Fiber and essential oils are also not inactive, getting into our gastrointestinal tract. Radish has a mild choleretic agent, it spurs 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 foods or cooked.

This wonderful vegetable has been known since ancient times. Its name is translated from Latin as "root", but greens are also used for food. Central Asia is considered the birthplace of radish, from where it came to Europe in the 16th century. Then he looked like a white carrot, which did not bother the French chefs, and they already know how to make food fashionable. A useful root crop was brought to Russia 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 thing. Breeders are working to create new varieties and hybrids that make growing radishes easier and more enjoyable.

Sowing technology

Large seeds are selected for sowing, and this is more important for a greenhouse than for an open bed. Since seed is not cheap, many gardeners harvest the seeds themselves. They sift small seeds through a sieve with a mesh of 2–3 mm, the largest ones are selected for closed 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) from the garden, which is the best predecessor of radishes, you need to dig up the soil thoroughly, add compost or humus, at least 1 bucket per 1 sq. m. If the soil is acidic, then add lime. How much it needs to be added depends on the degree of acidification. If the soil 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, it is dug up again, mineral fertilizers are applied, ash, if necessary (it also makes the soil more alkaline), is leveled, and rows are marked. Before the very laying of the seeds, if this happens in winter or early spring, the rows are spilled with very hot water. At such a time, radishes are sown under a film, or covered with a non-woven cloth to keep the daytime warm and at night.

Seeds are disinfected before sowing by soaking for 30 minutes with a bright solution of potassium permanganate. Some gardeners are advised to additionally process them with special preparations to accelerate growth, but most often radishes grow well without this. Then you need to lay out the washed seeds and dry 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 every 3-4 cm, but you can sow them by the nesting method, leaving 5 cm between the seeds. Deepen them by 1-1.5 cm, and varieties with long roots - 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 are deepened by 3 cm so that the seeds do not accidentally sprout in winter.

In order not to suffer with small seeds over the garden, some experienced gardeners pre-glue the seeds with flour paste at the right distance to paper, for example, toilet or newspaper, and then just lay it out in the right place and sprinkle it with earth.

It is believed 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.

Having sprinkled 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 thoroughly from a watering can with a fine 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 radishes 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 - it is at this depth that moisture should appear after watering. Therefore, after the emergence of seedlings, the soil is moistened by 5–7 cm, and then even deeper as it grows. They water as the soil dries up, usually this happens after 2 or 3 days, but strong wind and sun speed up this process, which means that 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 soil 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. At dachas, fertilizing is often combined with watering. Plants are watered with highly diluted slurry (tenfold dilution) or bird droppings (twentyfold dilution). In no case should you fertilize with fresh manure or undiluted poultry droppings - this is detrimental to vegetables.

They say that radish roots are capable of accumulating nitrates, so it is better not to allow uncontrolled fertilization of the garden. A good alternative can be watering with infusion, more precisely, with a mash of chopped grass.

The radishes are poured with ash and tobacco infusion, so that the ash and tobacco remain on the leaves - this is done to prevent diseases and scare off pests, for example, slugs and snails. The cruciferous flea is the most harmful. Many gardeners prefer to simply cover the plants with a non-woven cloth during its flight. 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 the air has the opportunity to get to the roots. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the roots, but to a sufficient depth: by 3-5 cm in the first week - one and a half, and then up to 10 cm.

It is possible to grow radishes almost all year round, only in winter in greenhouses they turn on not only heating, but also lighting to extend the daylight hours, and in summer they cover them 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, in the country, early varieties are most often cultivated, which are sown in early spring or even in winter to harvest before the onset of the summer heat. But the harvest is better stored, harvested in mid-autumn, and sown, respectively, in August.

It is believed that radishes need no more than 12 hours of daylight, so they will not produce a crop in the middle of summer. But it is known that in a cool summer in Karelia it grows wonderfully without shelter, but it is light there all day and night. 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 out of the soil, then no matter how much you water later, the roots will be hard and fibrous, and if the drying out is prolonged or repeated, the plant will stop growing the root crop, and will throw out the arrow.

Early shooting can occur if the thickened plantings are not thinned out, or the 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, without being 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 the radish be allowed to bloom. Even forming only an arrow of a peduncle, the plant ceases to direct all the forces and nutrients 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 also not be allowed.

Video "How to get a good harvest of radish"

This video will tell you about the technology of growing a good harvest of radishes.