Features of growing radishes in a greenhouse

Variety selection

Today there are many varieties and hybrids of this vegetable, they differ in color, taste, size, yield, but the most important difference is the different ripening times. Greenhouse radishes usually take longer to grow than outdoors, so many people choose to plant very early varieties.

For example, Variety "18 days" refers to the ultra-early. Its delicate, mild-tasting cylindrical roots can be eaten as early as 18 days after sowing. Hybrids "Child F1" and "Firstborn F1" ripen even on the 16th day, they are resistant to early shooting, form large red fruits with white pulp. "Firstborn F1" grows roots up to 35 g and does not crack. "Ultra early red" ripens in 18–20 days, its round red roots reach 15 g. Not only root vegetables, but also delicate tasty leaves with a high content of vitamin C are eaten.

Early maturing varieties ripen in 30 days, even in a polycarbonate greenhouse. The most common of them are: "Heat", "Early Red", "Camelot", "Ruby", "Zarya", "Helro", "French Breakfast", "Greenhouse", "Greenhouse mushroom". The last two, justifying their names, grow well in protected ground in autumn and early spring. "Helro" and "Zarya" were bred specifically to grow radishes in a greenhouse in winter. And the variety "Heat" does not need a high temperature at all, it grows well in spring in a greenhouse.

Mid-season varieties "Vikhovsky white", "Mokhovsky", "Red giant" ripen in 30-40 days from the moment of sowing. Late varieties are those that take more than 40 days to ripen, for example, "Duhansky", "Zenith".

Radish grows in the greenhouse without unnecessary problems and requires traditional care. You can plant varieties of different ripening periods in order to feast on fresh vitamin vegetables for a long time.

Planting radish in greenhouse conditions

The soil where the radish will grow in the greenhouse is usually prepared in the fall. Having freed the beds from plant debris, the owners dig up the ground. Immediately after this, or at the same time as digging, compost or humus can be added. Since radishes in the greenhouse and in the open field like non-acidic soils, with increased acidity, lime is added in the fall for deoxidation. If the soil is fertilized with mineral fertilizers, then superphosphate and potassium sulfur or potassium chloride are added. Wood ash well reduces acidity and saturates the soil with potassium, so it can replace potassium-containing mineral fertilizers. After fertilizing, the soil is well dug up, leveled and left until planting.

In the spring (or even in winter), before starting work, you just need to loosen the land. If the ground has not yet thawed enough for sowing, then it must be spilled with boiling water and covered with foil for 3-4 days, and only after that sow. This method will perfectly prepare the ground, in polycarbonate greenhouse beds, for the early cultivation of vegetables.

It is better to take the largest seeds, and leave the small ones for open ground, so they are sifted through a sieve with cells of 2-3 mm. Selected seeds are wrapped with gauze or placed in a bag, and kept in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes, then washed, and soaked for 4 hours with a solution of a growth stimulator. The seeds that have been disinfected and thus increased the yield are washed with clean water and sprinkled to dry until they stick to the fingers.

Radishes in the greenhouse are sown in rows every 7 - 8 cm. Small depressions (no more than 1 cm) are made, watered with warm water, then the seeds are placed in them at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other so that they do not have to break through later. Seeds germinate at a temperature of +16 or +18 degrees. But after the appearance of the leaves, it is advisable to lower the temperature by 3 days to +10 so that the sprouts do not stretch too much. After that, they return to +16 or +20.

Seedling care

When radishes are grown in a polycarbonate greenhouse, they do not require much maintenance. It needs to be watered, broken through if necessary, fed, if the soil has not been fertilized enough, protected from pests. Some gardeners mulch the beds.

Radish does not like long daylight hours if it lasts more than 12 hours, that is, the threat of shooting. But when grown in late autumn or winter, another problem will arise - insufficient daylight hours. Therefore, early in the morning or in the evening, after sunset, the lighting in the greenhouses is turned on.

Radishes in the greenhouse are sometimes sown not in rows in the garden bed, but in egg cassettes. Gardeners collect cardboard egg cassettes (trays), cut or remove the bottoms, lay them out on the garden bed, slightly pressing them into the ground, sow each seed in their nest. From above, the seeds are covered with sand.

This original method has already been tested by many gardeners; it is suitable not only for greenhouses, but also for open ground. Growing with egg cassettes, according to its adherents, greatly simplifies the care of vegetables. No need to thin out and weed plants. Cardboard plays the role of a kind of mulch, retains moisture and protects against pests. However, it gets wet from watering and creeps into gruel. Meanwhile, the harvest from egg cassettes looks much cleaner and more accurate, and pests do not get to it. Perhaps you need to plant 2 seeds in each nest, and then leave a stronger sprout if both sprout.

Watering

Radish loves moisture. If the land dries up even for one day, then the harvest will lose quality, the roots will become tough and bitterness will be added. Therefore, you need to water it often, usually it happens every few days, but it is important to check the moisture content of the soil at the root level, it happens that watering is carried out daily, and if the sun warms up, then a couple of times a day. That is, you need to water as needed. But the conditions of a polycarbonate greenhouse contribute to an increase in overall humidity, which is fraught with rotting or the appearance of fungal diseases. Therefore, ventilation is included in the mandatory maintenance for at least 10 minutes after each watering.

Temperature regime

A cold-resistant culture is able to withstand small frosts. Seeds can sprout at a temperature of +2 degrees. But at an air temperature of +16, they will do it faster. The first days after the emergence of shoots, it is lowered so that the sprouts do not stretch, and then the air temperature will be optimal in the region of +20. At the same time, the earth should be warm all the time, not less than +16 degrees, even the first days it should remain at a level from +11 to +14 degrees. Such conditions will allow friendly seedlings to appear, and then a wonderful harvest.

Harvesting and storage

Usually, all radishes of one variety ripen approximately at the same time, which means that they need to be harvested in 1-2 days.

Before harvesting, the radishes are watered: if it is watered in the morning, then it is better to clean it in the afternoon, then the roots will be juicy.

To keep the crop completely fresh for several days, it is preserved along with leaves and roots. If you need to keep the roots for 3 or 4 weeks, they are cleaned of tops and roots, washed, dried with towels and put in plastic bags. Closed bags are kept in the refrigerator.

For long-term storage of radishes, a cellar is used: it is poured with a mixture of sand and peat, placed in boxes. You can simply lay out on shelves, sprinkle with dry sand or sawdust. It is very important to ventilate the room so that the humidity does not rise. Greenhouse radishes under such conditions can be stored for several months, gradually losing their juiciness and taste (also useful) qualities.

Video "Growing radish"

This video is about the secrets of growing radishes. You will learn which varieties to choose, when to sow, and how to care for your crop to get a good harvest.