How to plant radishes with seeds outdoors. How to plant radishes correctly: planting in open ground

Radishes are one of the popular spring vegetables. Its value is due to its unpretentiousness, ease of care, early ripening, the possibility of early planting in open ground, usefulness and taste characteristics. While other vegetable crops are at the seedling stage, its juicy root crops already supply the human body with useful substances, making it possible to replenish vitamin deficiency after a long winter.

Optimal timing for planting vegetables

Radishes are planted in open ground earlier than other vegetable crops due to their ability to withstand cold and even easily tolerate night frosts. You can start sowing at the end of March or beginning of April. To speed up the germination process, crops need to be covered using film material. Early ripening varieties of radishes allow you to harvest the first harvest within three to four weeks after germination.

The period for planting radishes in summer varies depending on the variety, the time of its collection and ripening.

Early varieties should be planted in early June, and mid-season varieties in July, only when using the seedling method. You can also sow late-ripening varieties in open ground at the end of August or September.
And brave gardeners sow vegetables before winter before the onset of the first frost. Pre-winter sowing allows you to get a harvest earlier than any of them ripen. early variety, planted in spring.

Preparing for work on sowing radishes

Radish seeds for planting

Planting radishes is a simple procedure. Common problems that may arise during the cultivation of crops are looseness of roots, bitterness, and the formation of flower stalks before harvesting. But all these difficulties can be resolved by wisely choosing a variety and following cultivation techniques. That's why To obtain a rich harvest, it is important to select high-quality planting material and prepare the soil in advance.

Selection and preparation of seeds that we are going to plant

The best option is to buy seeds in special stores. First you need to sort through them, sorting them by size. The key to successful germination and development of the largest root crops are seeds with a length of 3 cm or more. Before planting, soak the seeds in water or a damp cloth for 24 hours. And before sowing, soak in hot water for 20 minutes to protect against the development of various diseases. After warming up, cool, enrich them with useful microelements by treating them with growth stimulants, and dry thoroughly.

Preparing the soil in the spring, ensuring good early shoots

Preparing the soil for planting

For the full growth and development of radishes, you need to prepare favorable soil. The culture prefers loose, nutritious, well-drained soil with an optimal acidity of 5.5-7.0.
When choosing a site, give preference to a warm one, protected from strong winds. It also matters how much sunlight falls on the planting site per day. In accordance with crop rotation standards, the best predecessors are tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, cucumbers and legumes.

It is not recommended to grow root crops for more than three years in the same place, as the plant depletes the soil.

The ideal solution is to plant radishes every year in a new bed, which will help improve crop rotation in the garden.

The soil should be prepared in the fall. To do this, clear the area of ​​plant debris, dig it up and enrich it with compost or humus. With the onset of spring, as soon as the soil thaws under the warm rays of the sun, before planting a vegetable, it must be dug up again, adding minerals.

Correct planting technology, plant at the correct depth

When sowing radishes, shallow planting is preferable.

Growing radishes in open ground requires proper planting, which includes the following operations:

1. Level the prepared bed, mark the grooves for sowing, keeping a distance of 10 cm between them. Acceptable embedment depth is 1 cm. Deep planting of seeds will lead to a change in the shape of the root crops.
2. Plant the planting material in the grooves, after watering them with hot water. Seeds should be sown at a distance of 5 cm between plants. It’s not worth it to be thicker, otherwise you’ll have to waste energy trying to plant them.
3. Sprinkle with soil and compact well to achieve maximum contact of the soil with the plane of the seed, which will speed up germination.
4. After sowing, water the beds and fertilize them with wood ash.
   Under comfortable weather conditions, seedlings will appear in 3-4 days.

Planting vegetables in egg cells

You can plant radishes in egg cells. This method has been tried and tested by many gardeners and is considered the best. As a result of this approach, ripened radishes have an even and neat shape. A During standard care, thinning will not be required.
To do this you need:

Caring for a newly planted plant, watering regime

Further care of crops includes the following activities:

Secrets of growing in open ground, thinning and fertilizing

There are some secrets that allow you to grow high-quality root crops in open ground conditions.

Pests and their control

Diseases can reduce the quantity and quality of the harvest and cause the death of radishes, and pests will take away the long-awaited harvest, as they love to eat young radishes.

Therefore, it is important to identify the first signs of the disease in time and take appropriate measures that will help the plant cope with them faster.

Radish affected by flea beetle

Harvesting what we managed to grow

Radishes should be harvested selectively as they ripen. When the root crop reaches medium size, you need to carefully pull it out, taking it by the tops and pulling it up, and you can serve it. And leave the rest to grow to technical ripeness.
Radishes are easy to harvest, it is important to do it in a timely manner. But even if you are late in collecting this vegetable, in this case you can get seeds for the next planting.

Cultivate radishes in open ground You can do it all summer season.

Even novice gardeners can cope with the simple rules of planting and care. These rules, of course, vary in the Leningrad region, in the Urals or in Krasnodar. It is important to plant radishes in the garden in a timely manner and create comfortable conditions for them to grow.

Radishes are a popular crop among gardeners. This vegetable is very beneficial for the body, as it contains many vitamins that have a beneficial effect on cardiovascular system and significantly increase the level of hemoglobin in the blood. To harvest a good, juicy harvest, it is necessary to take into account some of the characteristics of the root crop. Therefore, it is worth figuring out how to properly plant radishes in the spring and care for them so that they do not go to waste and contain the maximum amount of useful substances.

Features of growing radishes

Radishes are considered a cold-resistant crop, and therefore, for growing this root crop, you can not allocate a separate bed, but plant it earlier than other heat-loving plants, since by the time they are planted in open ground, the harvest will already be harvested. This is provided that the vegetable is needed especially in the spring.

To keep radishes on the table throughout the season, they can be planted every 7-10 days, but excluding June. This is due to the fact that this crop actively grows its roots during short daylight hours (up to 10 hours), which has a beneficial effect on the harvest. And when the length of daylight hours increases, the plant enters the reproduction phase, which is expressed in bolting. Therefore, when re-sowing radishes in the summer, it is necessary to take this feature into account, as well as select varieties late date maturation.

The main components of success when growing radishes are:

• choosing the optimal variety;
• compliance with planting deadlines;
• choosing a suitable site taking into account the characteristics of radishes;
• properly carried out sowing;
• maintaining optimal soil moisture levels;
• timely feeding;
• protection from pests.

Taking into account all these conditions, you can count on good harvest radishes without much difficulty.

Video: tricks for growing radishes

Optimal timing for sowing radishes in spring and summer

Even a beginner can successfully grow radishes, but initially it is necessary to correctly determine optimal time sowing You can start planting radishes in open ground in early spring as early as March, without fear of the seeds freezing. However, the bed must be covered with film or a small film greenhouse must be built, since radishes can begin to grow at temperatures from -1 to -2 degrees and withstand frosts down to -4 degrees.

The optimal temperature for the full growth and development of a vegetable is considered to be +15 - +18 degrees, and with an increase in these indicators, the tops rapidly grow to the detriment of fruit formation.

Many gardeners believe that radishes should be planted according to lunar calendar.

Favorable days according to the lunar calendar when you should sow radishes in open ground in 2018 are the following days:

• in March – 20-23;
• in April – 6-9, 19-20, 23-29;
• in May - 7-10, 19-24.

The following are considered unfavorable days for sowing radishes in 2018:

• in March – 1-3, 16, 30;
• in April – 15-17, 29-30;
• in May - 14-16, 28-30.

More precise timing for sowing radishes, based on climatic features region, can be determined independently taking into account the air temperature:

• up to 10 degrees Celsius - seedlings will develop slowly, so they will appear within 10 - 14 days;
• in the range from 10 to 15 degrees - the seeds will germinate within 7 days;
• within 15 - 20 degrees - sprouts will appear within 3 days.

The first selective harvest of radishes can be harvested after 20-25 days. To prolong the spring harvest as much as possible, it is advisable to plant every 7 days until mid-May, since it is no longer recommended to plant radishes in June.

Summer sowing of radishes must be carried out from the beginning of July to the beginning of August. To avoid bolting when there is excess lighting, cover the crops with dark geotextiles in arcs in the afternoon.

Important! It is impossible to cover radish crops with film in the summer, since under the influence of sunlight under the cover the temperature will rise significantly, which will lead to the death of the seedlings.

Video: growing radishes all summer

How to plant radishes in open ground correctly

To get a good harvest, it is necessary not only to correctly calculate the sowing time, but also to prepare the area for planting and seeds in advance. To do this, it is recommended to carry out a number of procedures, which will have a positive effect on the final result.

Preparing beds and soil for planting radishes

For early spring planting of radishes in open ground, experts recommend preparing the area for planting in the fall. And since all root vegetables respond well to organic matter, you should add rotted compost or humus at the rate of 1 bucket per meter of area and dig it up with a shovel.

Important! Should not be brought into the ground fresh manure, since it highlights carbon dioxide, which has a depressing effect on plants.

When clay soil it is necessary to add a little sand, since radishes prefer to grow on loose, light soils with a neutral or weak acidity level. In the spring, 2 weeks before planting, you should loosen the soil and add it to it. mineral fertilizers in the following proportion for each square meter of bed:

• ammonium nitrate 10-15 g;
• superphosphate 20-25 g;
• potassium sulphide 15-20 g.

Finally, the area should be leveled to eliminate any depressions or uneven areas.

To plant radishes, it is better to choose a place where the sun is early in the morning and until mid-day, and in the evening it goes into partial shade.

Experts recommend planting radishes every year in a new place, which helps improve crop rotation. But you cannot plant the root vegetable after other cruciferous crops: watercress, cabbage, mustard, as they are susceptible to the same diseases.

Preparing radish seeds

Before sowing radishes, you should prepare the seeds, which will help to significantly increase the germination rate. Initially, it is advisable to carry out a selection by excluding damaged and defective specimens.

In the future, to determine their viability, it is necessary:

• dip the seeds in a saline solution at the rate of 50 g of salt per 1 liter of water;
• let stand for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden stick;
• drain all seeds that float to the surface;
• all specimens that have settled to the bottom must be washed under running water and dried, as they will be used for sowing.

Important! The better the selection of seeds at this stage, the better their germination will be.

To prevent seedlings from being damaged by a fungal disease, it is recommended to disinfection radish seeds using potassium permanganate. To do this you need:

• dissolve the crystals of the product in water at the rate of 1 mg per 1 liter of water so that the solution acquires a bright pink tint;
• wrap the radish seeds in a gauze bag and lower them into the mixture for 15 minutes;
• After the time has passed, rinse them in clean water and dry until free-flowing.

To stimulate the growth processes of seeds, you can carry out panning, which will help strengthen the immune system and ensure the full development of plants in the future.

To do this, the planting material is soaked in "Epine"(2-3 drops per 1 liter of water) or in “ Zircone"(0.025 ml per 100 ml of water) for 3 hours. After which the seeds must be dried and sowed.

In the case of early spring planting of radishes in open ground (for example, at the end of March), it is recommended to hardening seeds to increase their resistance to possible temperature changes. This procedure is carried out as follows:

• wrap the planting material and leave for 1 day at room temperature;
• then put it in the refrigerator for 4 hours;
• repeat alternating contrasting contents until the seeds hatch;
• sow in moist soil.

Important! It is necessary to plant radish seeds in open ground immediately after the preparatory procedures, since the growth processes in them have already intensified.

Direct planting technology

There are several ways to plant radishes in the garden, so each gardener can choose based on the area of ​​the plot and his personal preferences.

The most common method is to plant radishes in rows. To do this, you must follow certain rules, which will help you get a good harvest.

1. Make rows at a depth of 0.5-1 cm and with row spacing of 10 cm.
2. Water and allow moisture to be absorbed.
3. Place the seeds at a distance of 5 cm from each other.
4. Sprinkle the seeds with soil and compact them so that there are no voids.

Shoots will appear on day 3-4. To speed up the ripening process, it is recommended daily from 5 pm cover the radish bed with film, and take it off in the morning.

The second common method of planting radishes in open ground is suitable for gardeners who have a small plot of land, but need to place everything. Therefore, in this case, the landing is carried out one continuous sheet. And in order to place the seeds at the optimal distance from each other, use egg cassettes.

1. Level the surface of the bed.
2. Water it generously and wait until the moisture is absorbed.
3. Press the cassette to the ground so that the cells are clearly imprinted.
4. Place the seeds one at a time in each hole.
5. Cover the crops with soil and compact them for better contact with the soil.

This method can be used after thoroughly clearing the bed of weeds, so in the future it will not be possible to remove them before harvesting.

Further care for radishes

Radish is a moisture-loving vegetable, and therefore for its active growth and development it is necessary that the soil be constantly moist. But at the same time, a certain balance must be maintained, since excess moisture leads to cracking, and lack of watering leads to the formation of small fruits.

The growing season of this vegetable is relatively short, and therefore, if fertilizers are applied to the soil before planting, there will be enough nutrients for the full development of radishes.

But if this has not been done, it is recommended that a week after germination, fertilize the radishes with organic fertilizers: rotted mullein in a ratio of 1:10 or fermented chicken manure in a ratio of 1:20. And 10 days after this, it is necessary to use superphosphate 20 g and potassium sulfide 15 g per 10 liters of water.

Note! It is important not to overdo it with fertilizers, as their excess leads to increased growth of green mass and further bolting.

Throughout the entire period of radish growth, it is necessary to regularly loosen the soil to improve oxygen access to the roots. Therefore, experts recommend shallow cultivation of row spacing after watering to prevent the formation of crust on the soil. It is also necessary to promptly remove weeds, which will interfere with the full growth of root crops and take nutrients from the soil.

As the fruits ripen, selective harvesting should be done to allow neighboring plants to develop.

On initial stage growth, serious damage to radishes is caused by the red flea flea, which is expressed in slow growth and deformation of seedlings. To prevent this, you should timely pollinate the foliage with tobacco dust or wood ash and cover the crops with non-woven material, which will protect against pest attacks.

When to harvest radishes and how to store them

Harvesting radishes must be carried out, based on the size of the root crops, in 2-3 stages, that is, first the largest ones, and after a week or two, the rest. 2 hours before harvesting, you should water the bed, which will make it possible to pull out the radishes without much difficulty. After this, it is recommended to remove the tops from the fruit and shorten the tip to prevent premature wilting.

Any gardener, even an inexperienced gardener, can grow a good harvest of radishes if he adheres to the recommendations and simple rules of care. And if you ignore them, you should not be surprised at the result obtained, which may differ significantly from the desired one.

Video: planting radishes in open ground

Preface

As soon as the snow melts, gardeners can't wait to start planting. Usually, radishes are planted first in the spring, when the ground has already thawed and the sun has begun to warm up.

A few words about radishes

The popularity of this root vegetable is explained very simply. After all, this is an opportunity to be the first to crunch spring salads, get a portion of “fresh” vitamins, and for those who like to tinker in the garden beds, this is an excellent reason to start the gardening season.

The radish plant belongs to the cruciferous family. The homeland of this culture is considered to be Asian lands, from where it later spread first to China and then to the rest of the world. Radishes appeared on domestic tables thanks to traders from the time of Peter the Great. This spicy and juicy vegetable was immediately accepted and became widespread throughout Russian territory.

Radishes contain phosphorus, sodium, calcium, magnesium and iron, therefore they have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system and increase blood hemoglobin. Choleretic properties and high fiber content help normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and gall bladder. With radishes, our body, weakened by the long winter, receives the first vitamins, among which the main place is occupied by vitamins of group B, as well as C and PP.

The growing season of radishes can be one-year or two-year. Annual varieties are more convenient to grow, so those that produce seeds in the year of sowing are popular among gardeners. The shape of the root crop can be very different: round, oblong, flat-round, elongated and spindle-shaped. Based on color, you can choose red, pink, white and even yellow or purple radishes. Depending on the region and timing of growing this crop, it is sown both in greenhouses or hotbeds, and in open ground.

Planting radishes in spring - five rules for a good harvest

Taking into account that radishes develop better in short daylight hours, they must be sown at the appropriate time. Soil moisture directly affects the formation of root crops, and the presence of necessary fertilizers and temperature regime– on the quantity and quality of the harvest. Therefore, despite the apparent simplicity of growing radishes, only compliance with certain requirements ultimately guarantees a worthy reward for your work.

Rule one - timing

Early varieties of radishes allow you to get the first harvest after three to four weeks from the day of emergence. Therefore, as soon as the warm days arrive, you can begin to prepare the beds. Radish is a fairly cold-resistant plant; it can withstand night frosts down to minus 5–6 degrees without loss, but at low daytime temperatures (up to +8), seedlings will take a long time to appear. The best sowing dates are considered to be the end of March - the beginning of April, when the sun generously gives warmth, warming the ground and air. You can more accurately determine when to sow radishes yourself, based on the fact that at the temperature:

• up to + 10 degrees – you will have to wait a long time for seedlings;
• from +10 to +15 – they will appear in a week;
• closer to +18 ... +22 - the first greens will hatch on the fourth day.

The most favorable average daily temperature for the successful formation of root crops is considered to be + 20 degrees.

Depending on when such weather conditions are expected in your region, you should choose the days when to plant radishes.

The first selective harvest begins to be harvested within 20-25 days, and then the rest ripens. To extend the radish season as much as possible, you need to sow it at intervals of one week. So, gradually ripening, the harvest will delight you all spring with young, juicy vegetables.

This is interesting! It is thanks to the relatively short growing season that radishes were chosen for cultivation at the International space station. On its basis, studies were carried out of the genetic characteristics of crops grown in zero gravity conditions.

Closer to the beginning of summer, it is recommended to stop sowing, since long daylight hours and hot weather quickly lead to bolting of plants and a decrease in the taste of the root crop. It will be possible to resume growing radishes only in September.

Rule two - soil

Like most other garden crops, radishes love fertile soil. Therefore, before sowing radishes, you need to select the most suitable site and prepare the land.

Considering the good responsiveness of root crops to organic fertilizers, it is better to prepare a bed for radishes in the fall. To do this, add compost, humus or manure to the ground and dig about thirty centimeters. If the soil is too clayey, then you should add a little peat or coarse river sand, because radish crops grow better on loose, light soils. When applying mineral fertilizers per square meter of land, good results show additive ammonium nitrate(10-15 g), superphosphate (20-25 g) and potassium chloride (15-20 g). The acidity of the soil for radishes is better neutral; in extreme cases, slightly acidic is allowed.

Sowing radishes in open ground is carried out in sunny areas protected from the winds. The southern and southeastern sides are considered the best for spring sowing, where the ground thaws faster and there is plenty of light for future entries. Experience shows that radishes are an excellent predecessor for many garden crops; they perfectly prepare the soil for tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and cucumbers. It is especially convenient to grow radishes every year in a new place, which helps improve crop rotation in the garden. The only exception is cruciferous plants - cabbage, mustard, watercress and others, which can transmit diseases of this family to subsequent plantings.

Advice! Radishes are an excellent compactor and a kind of “marker” for other crops.

By sowing radish seeds next to cucumber seedlings or rows of potatoes, you will get two crops from one bed. And spring planting of onions for greens, dill and lettuce will go well with rows of early radishes.

Many gardeners know how labor-intensive the first weeding of carrot beds is - its thin, barely noticeable shoots are difficult to see among the rising weeds. And this is where rare radish bushes, sown along with carrot seeds, help determine future rows.

Rule three - sowing

When growing radishes in a greenhouse or film greenhouse, radishes are often sown without preliminary seed preparation. Keep a distance of approximately the width of your palm between the grooves, and cover the seeds with a two-centimeter layer of soil. After the emergence of seedlings, it is advisable to thin out the crops, leaving 3–5 cm between adjacent bushes. If the sowing is carried out more carefully, adding seeds taking into account the required distance, then there will be no need to break through the entrances.

Advice! In order to sow radishes faster and with better quality, you can stick their seeds on long strips of paper in winter and dry them. In the spring, it will be enough to simply lay these strips in moistened grooves and cover them with soil.

Sometimes sowing radishes, especially in the northern regions, requires preliminary preparation. Calibration of seeds by size and weight is carried out to obtain uniform shoots and simultaneous harvest and is more often used when planting radishes for sale. But soaking and germinating seeds allows you to get faster shoots, and therefore more early harvest.

Before planting radish seeds, they are wrapped in a linen napkin and placed in a container with a small amount of water at room temperature. Usually the seeds hatch on the second or third day and are ready for sowing.

Rule four - watering

Radishes love watering, that’s for sure. Moist soil helps successful formation proper, juicy root vegetable. Therefore, it is necessary to sow seeds in spilled furrows, and it is undesirable to skip sprinkling of the first shoots, and further care consists of regular, generous watering. Of course, we should not forget that wet soil does not mean stagnation of water in the ground. Excessive moisture invariably leads to rotting of root crops.

Advice! It is better to water radish crops in March in film greenhouses warm water, temperature 25-30 degrees. Such an evening “shower” will not only water the plants, but will also help keep them warm during cold nights.

Rule five - fertilizer

Radish - planting and caring for this crop does not take much time. At proper preparation beds and sufficiently fertile soil, radish plantings do not require additional fertilizer. For its short growing season, the available food will be sufficient. If the soil fertility leaves much to be desired, then a week after the first shoots appear, the radishes can be slightly fed with organic fertilizers. Usually, an infusion of compost or fermented infusion of manure is added to the water for irrigation. Dry last year's humus or chopped grass clippings are added to the garden bed as mulch. The main thing in fertilizing radishes is not to overdo it! A large amount of nutrients in the soil leads to lush vegetation of radish greens, stemming and negatively affects the shape and taste of the root crop.

The best radish varieties for spring sowing

Depending on the time of sowing, the optimal varieties of radishes are selected.

• French Breakfast is an early ripening variety. No more than 20-25 days pass from germination to ripening. The shape of the fruit is elongated, 3-4 cm long, bright red in color with a white tip.
• Early red – ripens in 27-30 days. It is resistant to shooting. Root vegetables are round in shape, dark red in color with a white, juicy core.
• Helios. The average ripening period is about 30 days. Excellent taste and unusual yellow color of the root vegetable allowed this variety to gain popularity.
• Sora. The fruits are large (up to 4-5 cm in diameter), dense, juicy, deep red in color. It is characterized by resistance to high temperatures and diseases, does not form voids. Thanks to this, it can be successfully grown at the end of May and even in June. The popularity of this variety is due to its high yield.

The first spring vegetable, its quick harvest and ease of care make radishes one of the favorite garden crops. And correctly selected varieties and sowing dates of radishes will provide your family with vitamin-rich salads for a long time.

Radishes are an early-ripening garden vegetable that is in demand in spring and contains the vitamins the body needs after a long winter. The root vegetable is rich in sodium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron. It has a positive effect on the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, and helps restore strength. Planting radishes in open ground is the most popular way to obtain a rich harvest of a valuable vegetable.

Radish sowing time

Radishes have become widespread in many countries. Covered with a thin skin of pink, white-pink or red color, the root vegetable has a pungent taste due to the mustard oil contained in its pulp. For normal development, radishes require at least 13 hours of daylight. Due to the short growing season, the root crop can be grown throughout the season, ensuring a constant supply of fresh crops.

For radish seeds to germinate, a temperature of 1-2°C is sufficient; the plant develops normally at a temperature of 15-18°C. With warmer air and insufficient light during the still short spring day, the plant grows tops; at this time, the root crop only becomes coarser and does not grow.

Radishes are planted in the ground after the soil has thawed and warmed up. This time usually occurs no earlier than mid-April, although root crops of early varieties in the southern regions are sown already in the last ten days of March.

At the end of August and in September, after the summer break, radishes begin to be sown again. When planting radishes in the summer, it is recommended to cover the plantings with an opaque covering material every day from 6 p.m. to reduce daylight hours.

Depending on the region, the timing of sowing radishes varies: in different climatic zones, the soil and air temperatures reach the required levels at different times. In the Moscow region and middle lane The period for sowing root crops in open ground begins in the third decade of March and continues until the end of May.

In the northern regions and Siberia, the time to plant radishes comes closer to the beginning of May. In the southern Urals, these dates come a little earlier - from April 20-25. In the southern regions, you can start sowing at the end of March.

Selecting a location

The area for radishes should be sheltered from the wind and illuminated by the sun at least in the first half of the day. For root crops, light, loose soil with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction, with a pH value in the range of 5.5-7.0 units, is optimal. Too acidic soils require liming before planting radishes.

It is good to sow the vegetable in an area intended later for planting tomatoes: by sowing radishes on it weekly until May 20, you can get a good harvest of root crops and at the same time prepare the soil for growing tomatoes.

The root crop can be planted in an area where cucumbers, tomatoes or potatoes previously grew. A good harvest of radishes cannot be grown in a garden after cabbage, radish, daikon, watercress, horseradish, turnips, and turnips. It is advisable to change the place for radishes annually, so that each time its predecessors are crops from a different family.

Soil preparation

Soil preparation is one of the conditions necessary for growing radishes from seeds. They begin to prepare the area for spring sowing in the fall: they dig up soil with humus or compost to the depth of a shovel. Then in the spring it is enough to dig up the area to a depth of no more than 20 centimeters.

On heavy and cold or poor sandy loam soils, before growing radishes, it is necessary to add 2-3 kilograms of humus per square meter. The soil for radishes cannot be fertilized with fresh manure.

Variety selection

Based on their ripening time, radish varieties for open ground are divided into:

• super-early;
• early ripening;
• mid-season;
• late ripening.

Ultra-early ripening (ultra-early) radish varieties ripen within 18-20 days.

Among them the most famous are:

1. 18 days - cylindrical root vegetables of rich pink color with delicate juicy pulp, reaching maturity during this period;
2. The firstborn is a high-yielding ultra-early hybrid that ripens in 16-18 days, the dark red round roots of which have large sizes, are resistant to cracking and bolting.

Early ripening varieties include radish varieties that ripen 20-30 days after germination. The best among them:

1. French Breakfast is a popular variety with cylindrical long fruits weighing up to 45 grams, dark red in color with a rounded white tip. Prone to bolting in extreme heat.
2. White Fang is a variety that ripens in 33-40 days with conical white roots reaching a weight of 60 grams and a length of 12 centimeters. The taste is mildly pungent, the flesh is juicy.
3. Ilka - high productive variety with round, dense, juicy scarlet root vegetables weighing 15-25 grams. Medium-hot taste without bitterness, the flesh is white and white-pink. The variety is resistant to low temperatures, woody pulp, formation of porosity, and bolting.
4. Zhara is a high-yielding variety that ripens in 3 weeks with small, round, dark red root crops weighing up to 25 grams. The taste is mildly pungent, the flesh is white or white-pink. Contrary to its name, the variety does not like heat; it should be covered with a canopy when grown in hot weather.
5. Saxa is a long-lasting, bloom-resistant variety that ripens in 23-27 days. The root vegetables are round in shape, weighing about 22 grams, bright red in color, with juicy white pulp with a slightly pungent taste.

Among the group of mid-season varieties that ripen in 30-35 days, the best can be distinguished:

1. Kvant is a productive variety with pinkish-crimson root vegetables with a delicate taste, ripens in 30 days, and retains its elasticity for a long time during storage.
2. Vera is a yielding variety resistant to cracking and stemming, root crops of the same size, bright red.
3. Duro is a popular fruitful variety, large fruits reach a diameter of 10 centimeters, resistant to cracking, stemming, woodiness, and can be stored well.
4. Helios is a variety with round yellow root vegetables, pleasant taste, and juicy pulp.
5. Zlata - a large root vegetable yellow color, maximum ripening period is 35 days, the pulp is juicy and tender.

Among late-ripening varieties that ripen within 36-45 days, the most popular are:

1. Champion is a high-yielding variety that ripens in 40 days, with large raspberry-red root crops of an elongated round shape, weighing about 20 grams. The tender, juicy pinkish-white flesh has good taste. Root vegetables do not become soft and flabby for a long time, and do not form voids.
2. Rampoush is a bolting-resistant variety that ripens in 35-45 days with elongated spindle-shaped white roots with a medium-sharp taste without bitterness.
3. Red giant is a well-stored, productive variety resistant to mole crickets and cruciferous flea beetles with cylindrical large fruits of bright red color up to 14 centimeters long with a mildly pungent taste.
4. Ice icicle is a variety identical to the Red Giant with white root crops.
5. Dungan - cold-resistant variety with root crops elongated shape up to 15 centimeters long and weighing 45-80 grams. The juicy white pulp has excellent taste.
6. Würzburg-59 is a variety with rounded root crops with juicy, dense pulp that retains its elasticity for a long time.

Sowing technology

Radish seeds can be sown unprepared, but to improve germination and reduce germination time, they are calibrated by sifting through a sieve with 2-3 millimeter mesh, and then left overnight in a damp cloth or soaked in warm water.

Large seeds will produce good seedlings and, with proper care, large root crops will grow. When choosing seed material, it is better to give preference to large seeds Brown. The gray color serves as a warning about poor germination: seeds that have been stored for a long time have it. To disinfect, selected seeds are soaked for 30 minutes in a one percent solution of potassium permanganate.

Spring sowing

To sow radishes, make grooves 2 centimeters deep at a distance of 15-20 centimeters. They are first spilled with water and seeds are sown thickly in them. Having filled the grooves, fill them with loose soil, compact the surface, but do not water them, but cover the bed with a layer of humus or peat 2 centimeters thick.

Before the seeds germinate, the area is covered with film overnight (after 5 pm and until the morning). The time of emergence of seedlings depends on weather conditions. In good, sunny and dry weather, seeds can germinate within 3-4 days.

The seedlings are thinned out at the development stage of the first leaf. It is recommended to leave a distance of 3-5 centimeters between plants. It is better to immediately sow the seeds at the specified distance, so that later you do not have to break through the seedlings, since during this procedure the roots of the main seedlings are often damaged, which can lead to deterioration in development and bolting.

If there is very little space on the plot, when sowing radishes, use a special marker - a board with cloves made on it to a depth of 1 centimeter according to a 5x5 centimeter pattern.

In this way, 400 seeds can be placed on one square meter. The sowing is continuous and not in rows. The radishes will grow one to one. Before sowing, the soil should be homogeneous, moist and free of lumps.

The marker is placed on the soil and walked on it, pressing it into the ground. Seeds are placed in the resulting even holes, covered with earth and pressed with the palm of your hand. From one square meter When sowing beds this way, you can get a harvest of up to 5 kilograms.

Planting radishes before winter

Two-year-old winter radishes are planted in late autumn. Planting is carried out from mid to late November, after the start of frost. Suitable varieties for winter sowing are Spartak, Mayak, Yubileiny, Mercado, Carmen, which germinate even at low temperatures.

At the end of summer, the site is prepared for sowing: The soil is dug up and half a bucket of rotted compost or humus and 1 tablespoon of potassium sulfate and double superphosphate are added per 1 square meter. After applying fertilizer, the bed is covered with film and pressed down along the edges with bricks or stones so that the wind does not blow away the shelter.

The difference between autumn sowing and spring sowing is that the seeds must be thrown into dry soil, and after planting the seeds, the bed must be mulched with peat or dry soil. After sowing, the soil surface must be compacted and covered with snow if it has already fallen by that time.

The advantage of winter sowing is that next year the radish harvest will be obtained 2 weeks earlier than that produced by vegetables sown in the spring.

Radish care

Timely watering, fertilizing, weeding and loosening of rows, pest control are the main procedures for caring for radishes in open ground. A layer of mulch placed on the bed after sowing will greatly facilitate care.

Watering

Radish is a moisture-loving crop. For normal development of root crops, soil moisture should be about 80%. The plot, especially at first, will have to be watered frequently, otherwise the radishes will be bitter. For the first watering after planting, use warm water and a watering can with a divider.

Warm water is especially useful if plants are watered in the evening - when the temperature drops at night, it will help retain heat. Insufficient watering can cause bolting of plants and stunting of root crops.

If there are rains and thunderstorms in the spring, the radishes are watered daily in the morning or after 17:00. In a dry spring, you will have to moisten the soil on the site in the morning and evening. After the first true leaf has formed at the seedlings, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the soil especially strictly. It is possible to grow tasty and juicy root vegetables only if the soil in the beds with radishes is slightly moist at all times.

Top dressing

Radishes growing in poor soils need to be fed twice during the growing season. On rich soils, one fertilizing is enough for the root crop. It is necessary to feed radishes with fertilizers that can be applied to the soil without the risk of saturating the roots with hazardous substances.

A balanced mixture of fertilizers will help radishes form a juicy, healthy root crop:

• humus and compost (the amount depends on the type of soil);
• 1.5 liters wood ash;
• 10-15 grams of ammonium nitrate;
• 10 grams of superphosphate;
• 10 grams of potassium fertilizer.

If the soil is fertile, only mineral fertilizers will need to be applied to it.

Pest and disease control

The main enemies of radishes are mole crickets and cruciferous flea beetles; the others (caterpillars, aphids, wireworms) do not have time to seriously harm the plant due to its rapid growth.

Cruciferous flea beetle poses a threat to radishes early stage development, since in a few days it can completely destroy young defenseless seedlings. For mature seedlings, the flea beetle is no longer dangerous.

Spraying the tops with a solution of wood ash will repel insects from green young leaves: 50 grams of grated laundry soap and 2 cups of fresh ash are dissolved in 10 liters of water.

You can simply scatter the ash around the area. Both of these methods are not highly effective, but most reliable protection flea flea control is the construction of a shelter from arc-shaped metal supports and spunbond thrown over them. Radishes breathe normally under such cover, the scorching rays of the sun do not burn the tops, and the cruciferous flea beetle does not penetrate under the spunbond. The shelter can be removed after the radishes grow tops.

The mole cricket often harms early varieties of radishes in the greenhouse, where it crawls to bask in the spring. In open ground, it does not have time to cause much damage to the crop.

Among the diseases for radishes, bacteriosis is dangerous, causing premature yellowing of leaves and rotting of root crops, clubroot, which is determined by yellow leaves and by swellings and growths on root crops, and black leg, which affects plants at the seedling stage, causing yellowing and curling of the leaves and blackening of the stems at the base.

To prevent these problems, it is necessary to choose disease-resistant varieties for cultivation and observe agrotechnical conditions, and most importantly, remove diseased plants from the site in a timely manner.

They fight clubroot by cultivating the soil around the plants with lime milk (dilute 2 cups of fluff lime in 10 liters of water). Milk consumption per plant is 1 liter.

Plants affected by blackleg are treated 2-3 times at weekly intervals with an infusion of onion peels (pour 20 grams of peels with a liter of water and leave for 24 hours).

Collection and storage

Radishes do not ripen at the same time; they are collected selectively as they ripen. It is better to harvest radishes in the morning, watering the beds abundantly the night before. The root crops are pulled out, the remaining soil is shaken off, the tops are cut off at a distance of 2-3 centimeters from the root crop, and the roots are not cut off at all.

During long-term storage, radishes become flabby and bitter, so it is better to abandon plans to prepare this vegetable. Juicy fresh radishes can be grown in the garden or in a greenhouse at any time. Harvest Can be stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator in plastic bags for about a week.

Radishes are considered the earliest spring root crop. Today we will tell you how to plant radishes in open ground, and also share useful tips experienced agronomists engaged in the cultivation of this crop.

Radish planting dates

Radishes with skins of red, pink and white-pink colors are eaten on their own or in the form of salads, which can be seasoned with sour cream or some kind of sauce. Let's figure out how to grow this root vegetable.

Radishes have good frost resistance. In the event of spring frosts on the ground, the crops will not be damaged.

Many novice gardeners who are just learning the technology of growing this root crop are interested in when they can plant radishes. Spring planting of radishes in the ground depends on the climatic conditions of the region and the varietal characteristics of the root crop. You can sow seeds at the end of March or beginning of April, when the snow has completely melted. To get the earliest possible harvest, the beds should be covered with film, creating greenhouse growing conditions for the crops.

One of the key features of radishes is that if certain planting dates are observed, this juicy and tasty root vegetable will be on your table all year round. Thus, seedlings of early varieties are planted in open ground in June, and of mid-season varieties - in July. Late-ripening varieties should be planted in August-September and it will be possible to harvest a good harvest of radishes almost all year round.

Selecting a location and preparing the bed

When answering the question of how to grow radishes in open ground to get a good harvest, we draw your attention to the fact that the choice of planting site and the preparation of the bed play an important role.

It is better to grow radishes in nutritious, loose and well-drained soil with neutral acidity. According to the rules of crop rotation, the optimal predecessors are potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, legumes and peppers. As experts note, due to soil depletion, you should not grow radishes in the same place for more than three years.

For planting this vegetable crop, a plot of the garden that is well warmed up by the sun's rays and where there is no strong wind or drafts is suitable. For normal growth and development, radishes need a 13-hour daylight hours; for this reason, it is recommended to avoid garden plots shaded by trees and shrubs.

It is better to prepare the bed in the fall. To do this, you need to clear the garden of plants, dig up and feed the soil with organic matter. In the spring, as soon as the snow melts, the bed is dug up again and mineral fertilizers are added to the soil. This treatment of beds helps better yield of this vegetable crop.

Landing rules

How to plant radishes correctly, you ask? First, make small furrows, maintaining a distance of 15–20 cm between them, and moisten the soil well. Now you can sow the seeds. The grooves with seeds are covered with earth and compacted without watering. The garden plot is covered with a layer of humus or peat. It is recommended to cover the bed with film at night. As soon as you notice that the radishes should sprout soon, you need to remove the film.

In good and sunny weather, seeds can germinate within 3–4 days after planting. When the first leaves appear on the seedlings, it’s time to start thinning the beds (weak and damaged plants). There should be a distance of at least 3–5 cm between radish seedlings.

Further care

Many novice gardeners are interested in how to properly care for radishes grown in open ground.

Watering

Radishes are moisture-loving vegetable crops. Optimal humidity soil should be at least 80%. Otherwise, the plant will go to waste, the roots will develop poorly and become bitter. Excess moisture also negatively affects the quality of radishes. During harvesting, gardeners noticed that root crops grown in soil that was too wet were often empty inside.

As experts note, radishes need to be watered daily, while monitoring the level of soil moisture. It is necessary to water early in the morning, before the sun has risen, or late in the evening, when the sun, on the contrary, has already set. In the absence of precipitation, the frequency of watering increases to twice a day.

After each watering, the soil should be loosened so that a crust does not form on the surface of the soil, preventing normal air circulation.

Top dressing

Radishes will grow well in fertile areas. For this reason, it is necessary to enrich the soil with mineral fertilizers in advance. It is best to use superphosphate and potassium salt, which contribute to the proper formation of root crops. Despite the fact that many agronomists advise adding organic fertilizers to the soil, try not to use fresh manure, which has a detrimental effect on the growth of root crops.

It is also necessary to correctly calculate the amount of nitrogen-containing fertilizers. If there is an excess of nitrogen, it will be possible to grow not root crops, but tops.

Planting and caring for radishes in open ground does not require much attention or special effort. However, to improve crop growth, it is worth using some secrets and tricks of more experienced gardeners.

“Thanks to the rapid ripening, radishes are not afraid of invasions of harmful insects, except cruciferous flea beetle. In order to prevent and control cruciferous flea beetles, the following method is used: dilute 50 g of grated laundry soap and 2 cups of wood ash in 10 liters of water. This method of controlling insect pests is used only in open areas of the garden. You can get rid of the cruciferous flea beetle using a special protective device, over which spunbond is thrown.” (Andrey, 43 years old)

“Yield indicators depend on the variety and selection characteristics of the root crop being grown, the timing of planting and ripening of seeds, as well as compliance with all agrotechnical conditions for growing this crop. Therefore, before planting, it is necessary to sort through the seeds, sorting them by size. Seeds 3 cm or more long will give a good harvest of tasty and large root crops.” (Oksana, 35 years old)

Video “Caring for Radishes”

From this video you will learn how to properly care for radishes in open ground.

You will learn how to plant radishes in April.

Reference! Radish is a frost-resistant crop; its seeds can easily withstand temperatures down to minus 5 degrees.

The peculiarity of planting radishes in spring is that after harvesting them, you can plant other vegetables (potatoes, cabbage, eggplants) in the same area. Moreover, radishes are considered a good predecessor for many vegetable crops. Radishes have a short growing season. And the time of its collection coincides with the beginning of planting other crops. This makes it possible to reuse the same land plot 2 times.

How is it different from other times of the year?

Radishes are very picky about temperature values. for growth 15-18 degrees. If the temperature is higher, then the tops of this plant begin to grow vigorously, and the root crop grows poorly. Therefore, it is better to plant in early spring. When planted in late spring, radishes are negatively affected by long daylight hours and high temperatures. This is reflected in the size of the root crops.

"16 days"

A very early variety, the fruits ripen in sixteen days, have pink color. Radishes have a slightly tart taste and snow-white flesh. The fruits practically do not crack.

"Heat"

An early variety, ripens in 20 days. The color of the fruit is crimson, the flesh is pinkish. The taste is a little spicy.

"French Breakfast"

This variety ripens in 23 days, the shape of the fruit is elongated. The pulp is white and has a delicate taste.

Early ripening varieties are most suitable for cultivation in the conditions of Siberia and the Urals:

• "Duro";
• "Presto";
• "Poker F1".

They are characterized by increased resistance to low temperatures. They tolerate short-term frosts without damage and can grow in unfavorable conditions. climatic conditions.

Buying seeds

In Moscow and St. Petersburg, radish seeds (package weighing 3 grams) can be purchased at prices ranging from 10 to 35 rubles. Prices vary depending on the variety and manufacturer. The same variety from different producers may have different price.

Preparing for sowing

Before planting seeds in the ground, they need to be sorted out. Large seeds, 3 mm in diameter, give good germination and a rich harvest. Small and old seeds produce low yields and are prone to flowering.

Attention! Many gardeners don't spend time. But to improve germination, it is advisable to keep the seeds for 1 day in a damp cloth. They can also be kept in water for fifteen minutes at a temperature of 45 degrees - this will ensure early germination.

How should you prepare the soil in your garden bed?

To plant radishes, you need to plow the soil and harrow. In small areas, the soil is dug up and cultivated using a rake to crush large lumps of earth.

Adding manure to the soil is permissible only 1 year before planting radishes, but not earlier. This is because radishes react poorly to fresh manure.

What crops can be sown after?

This crop produces the greatest yield when grown after:

• zucchini;
• cucumbers;
• squash.

You cannot grow radishes after cabbage and cruciferous crops.

How to plant and choose depth?

1. Furrows 2 centimeters deep are created on the planting area.
2. It is advisable to pour a small layer of sand and ash at the bottom of the furrows. The distance in the row between the seeds should be 5 cm. The row spacing should be 15 cm.
3. After planting, the seeds are covered with a 1 centimeter layer of soil.

Radishes planted too deeply produce roots with a fibrous structure. Planting is usually done manually. Inventory required: rake, hoe. After planting, you need to water and mulch to retain moisture in the soil.

Care

Attention! If there is a lack of moisture in the soil, radishes are prone to flowering.

Moderate watering of crops is carried out once every two days. It is important to prevent the presence of weeds in the garden bed and remove them in a timely manner. When plantings are dense, it is necessary to thin out the crops. If the daylight hours are too long, it is advisable to reduce the lighting time– after 18 o’clock, cover the beds.

In the event of the appearance of diseases and pests, it is necessary to immediately treat the plantings using insecticides and fungicides. Radishes are prone to the accumulation of nitrates in the fruit. Therefore, it is undesirable to fertilize it with nitrogen fertilizers. It is advisable to apply fertilizers to the soil in the fall before spring planting using potassium nitrate and superphosphate. Read about growing radishes in.

Harvest and storage

Harvesting is carried out as the root crops become larger. Early varieties begin to be harvested after 18 days, mid-ripening varieties after 25 days, and late-ripening varieties after a month. The collected fruits are stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator or cellar. The shelf life can reach 1 month or more. First you need to shorten the root and cut off the tops.
You cannot keep radishes in the soil - the fruits will become hollow.

Difficulties

1. Frosts – Prolonged frosts can reduce crop yields.
2. and diseases can affect radishes, but controlling them using insecticides and fungicides will minimize the damage.

If you follow agricultural cultivation techniques and favorable conditions, you will definitely get a rich harvest and will not have any problems.

Growing radishes in the spring will allow you to have a tasty and crunchy vegetable on your table., which will emphasize the spring atmosphere. Radishes have a pleasant taste and are rich in vitamins, and are also easy to grow.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Radishes are an early crop beloved by many, helping us fight vitamin deficiency in the spring. Radish roots contain ascorbic acid, vitamins B, P, PP, proteins, amino acids, sugars, and calcium salts. iron, phosphorus and many other benefits for human body substances.

Radish, or radish (colloquial) - edible plant and is grown as a vegetable in many countries around the world. Its name comes from the Latin radix - root. Radish literally means "root vegetable."

Radishes are annual or biennial plants from the genus Radish ( Raphanus) of the Brassica family (Brassicaceae). From a classification point of view, radishes are a group of varieties of the species Radish sativa ( Raphanus sativus).

Radish roots are usually eaten, they are up to 3 cm thick and covered with thin skin, often colored red, pink or white-pink. Radish roots have a pleasant pungent taste. This typical radish taste is due to the mustard oil contained in the plant, which, under pressure, is converted into mustard oil glycoside.

Growing radishes

Planting radishes

Radishes have a short growing season: they ripen (depending on the variety, nutritional value, soil moisture, and sowing time) in 25-35 days (round varieties) and 30-40 days (long varieties). Radishes are planted at several times: in the spring three to four times (until mid-June) and in the second half of summer; in the northern and central regions - from the end of July to half of August and in the south - from half of August to the end of September.

Summer sowings in hot weather fail because can't stand radishes high temperature (the root becomes woody and bitter). Radish seeds are planted in low beds or, even better, in flat surface and even in areas planned slightly below soil level (for better retention of precipitation).

Radishes are good to grow in areas intended for tomatoes. If you sow it every week until the 20th of May, you can reap an excellent harvest on empty land, and in addition, prepare the soil for planting the next crop.

You can buy seeds, or you can use your own. To do this, you need to plant radishes of the variety you like (precisely the hybrid varieties will not give maternal properties in the next generation). After the root crop has formed (you can move it to a lighted place), cut off all the leaves, leaving 3-4 cm. After some time, the radish will produce a peduncle on which seeds will set. After the pods turn yellow, they must be collected and left to ripen. When they are dry and ripe, crush them with your hands and separate the seeds. Now there will be quite a lot of them.

Attention: You cannot take seeds from plants that have not formed a root crop and immediately began to bloom.

Radish seeds are sown in rows at a distance of 8-10 cm and in a row one plant from another after thinning is left at a distance of 3-4 cm for round varieties and 4-7 cm for long varieties. Sow 2-3 g of seeds per 1 m², cover them with a 1-2 cm layer of soil. Sowing deeper is dangerous - the root crop may not set. The weight of 1000 seeds is 7-10 g. The germination of radish seeds lasts about 5-6 years.

Radishes can be sown as early as mid-April - as soon as it becomes possible to work in the garden.

In order for radish seeds to germinate well, they must be sown in previously spilled soil. When the first leaf appears on the sprouted seedlings, they can be thinned out, leaving a distance of 2–3 cm between plants. But experience shows that it is better to sow one seed at a time, since thinning slightly damages the root of the main plant, it grows worse and can form shoots.

Magnus Franklin

Radish care

The basic techniques for caring for radishes consist of the following work: weed control, thinning (removing excess plants), loosening (repeated after 5-6 days), if there is a lack of moisture, abundant watering (1 watering can per 1 m²), protecting plants from garden fleas.

Radish is a very moisture-loving and light-loving plant. It is quite cold-resistant, its seeds begin to germinate at temperatures of +2 .. +3 °C, and the sprouts can withstand frosts down to –2 .. -3 °C. Adult plants can withstand short-term cold snaps of up to 4..6 degrees below zero. But the optimal temperature for radishes is +16 .. +18 °C.

In dry weather, it is better to water radishes twice a day - morning and evening, then they will grow juicy and dense. When there is little moisture, the root crop either does not form at all, or it turns out to be rough and hollow, and the plant quickly sprouts arrows. Radishes are especially demanding of moisture after the appearance of the first true leaf, when the root crop begins to form. In a drought, it is enough to keep the radish for three hours without moisture, and it will begin to develop incorrectly. And if the radish is hard and bitter, know that it was not watered well. And if it cracked, water it in excess.

In principle, radishes are not picky about soil, but grow especially well on loose soil rich in organic matter with a neutral and slightly acidic reaction. Heavy cold and poor light sandy loam soils are not suitable for growing this root crop unless humus is added to them at the rate of 20–30 kg per 10 m².

Never apply fresh manure to the soil, otherwise the radishes will be hollow inside. You only need to feed it with rotted organic matter. With a lack of nitrogen, the plant poorly forms tops and roots, and its leaves turn yellow. Complex fertilizers with a high nitrogen content will help solve this problem. If there is not enough potassium, the radish leaves look normal, but the root does not set. In this case, you need to add potash fertilizers.

Harvesting radishes

When planting radishes in spring, the radishes are harvested immediately as soon as the root crop has reached its normal size (within 5-6 days). When grown in autumn terms, in cold weather in September and October, you don’t have to rush to harvest radishes; they are well preserved in the ground without losing their taste.

Interaction with other plants

Nasturtium and chervil will be good neighbors for radishes; they also grow well between rows of bush beans. However, radishes need to be sown two weeks earlier than beans so that they do not have time to clog the radish crops.

Radish varieties

Depending on the ripening period, radishes come in early-ripening (22–25 days), mid-ripening and late-ripening (from 25 to 40–45 days) varieties. Fans of this vegetable can grow it all summer by sowing seeds different varieties, since the length of the day is different from spring to autumn.

Early ripening (early ripening) varieties of radish:

• Cherry belle– a variety with excellent root crops, juicy, pleasant-tasting pulp. Suitable for open ground. It can be grown all summer - the length of the day is not important. ‘Cherry belle’ is sown from April to September.
• Lanket- a radish variety with delicate, slightly watery pulp, almost never shoots, and the fruits do not become loose. They can be grown throughout the gardening season.
• Camelot– a very early variety of radish: the growing season is only 22–23 days. The root crop is round-flat, red, leveled, 2–4 cm in diameter, weighing 25–30 g. Designed for cultivation in open ground and in greenhouses. The pulp is white, dense, oily, of excellent taste. It does not sag for a long time, grows well in low light conditions and at low temperatures. Productivity – 1.5–1.6 kg per square meter.
• Okhotsk. An early ripening variety of radish for forcing in a greenhouse and spring sowing. Ready for consumption within 28–32 days after planting. The root vegetables are light red in color, round in shape, about 3 cm in diameter. The pulp is very juicy, tender, and pinkish. Resistant to stemming and cracking. Productivity – up to 3 kg per square meter.
• №6 . This early-ripening breeding sample of radish, bred at VNIIO, does not yet have a name. It is distinguished by its extraordinary productivity - up to 5 kg of root crops per square meter. Grown in open ground and greenhouses. The growing season from full germination to technical ripeness is 24–27 days. Fruit weight – 14–18 g. The pulp is white, juicy, tasty. Resistant to coloring and does not become flabby.
• Chupa Chups. These shiny, bright fruits look like round candies. Their juicy pulp with a delicate taste will surely please children. Sow in open ground in April–May with an interval of 10 days. Another feature of this variety is large root crops with a diameter of more than 3 cm. Productivity is up to 3 kg per square meter.

Mid-season radish varieties:

• Mokhovsky– a very attractive high-yielding variety of radish. It has excellent taste, ripens quickly and rarely gets sick. You can sow from the beginning of May.
• Heat- a widespread domestic variety with dense, juicy, slightly spicy-tasting pulp. If there is little moisture, the fruit becomes loose. Despite the name, it can only be sown in early spring and autumn.
• Red giant– mid-season radishes (ripen by mid-summer) with large oblong fruits. The flesh is quite spicy. It is no longer possible to sow it in the fall.
• Icicle differs from the Red Giant only in white color.
• Zlata– a variety of radish with yellow root vegetables. Cold-resistant, seedlings tolerate frosts. It is a short-day plant, so it is good to plant it in early spring, in the second half of summer and before winter.

Late-ripening radish varieties:

• Rampoush- a variety of radish that produces almost no flower stalks. The fruits are white, spindle-shaped. The pulp is white, with a pleasant medium-sharp taste. Suitable for open ground only.

Radish diseases and pests

Radishes and radishes are affected by diseases found on cruciferous plants.

Downy mildew It affects radishes mainly in protected soil with poor ventilation and excess humidity.

Black spot appears most often in wet years, affecting pods and seeds, which sharply reduces seed germination. Infected seeds must be heated at 50° for 30 minutes or pickled in NIUIF-1 solution (1.3% solution diluted with water 1:300) for 10-15 minutes, followed by rinsing with clean water.

On acidic soils, radishes attack clubroot. This is a viral disease in which growths appear on the roots. It is better to destroy such fruits, and it is no longer worth planting radishes in this place in the near future.

Radishes are damaged by various garden flea beetles, which are especially dangerous during the period of emergence. Flea beetles appear in large numbers in hot, dry weather. Regular watering, as well as the use of repellents (dust and ash) protect radish crops from flea beetles. Hexachlorane dust can be used on seed crops.

Cabbage fly damages the roots of radishes and radishes. For food crops, control measures are preventive: removal of plant residues from the field, proper crop rotation. On seed crops, plants are watered with a 0.5% solution of sodium silicofluoride with the addition of 80 g of hexachlorane per 10 liters. Pollination of leaves with tobacco dust or ash also helps against flea beetles and cabbage flies.

Radish is the very first spring vegetable that saves us from vitamin deficiency. Growing it in your garden is much more pleasant than buying it in the supermarket. You just need to know how to plant radishes and follow the rules for caring for them.

Soil selection and soil preparation

It is advisable to plant radishes in an open sunny place with loose neutral or slightly acidic soil. Land preparation has been carried out since the fall: the area is cleared of plant debris, dug up with shovels, organic fertilizers are added, and if necessary, lime or dolomite flour is added (if the soil is too acidic). In the spring, all that remains is to scatter mineral fertilizers over the area, dig to a depth of 20 cm. Do this as soon as the area thaws, you can cover the bed with film - the ground underneath will thaw and warm up earlier.

Radishes cannot be planted after cruciferous vegetables, but beans, potatoes, tomatoes, and cucumbers are good predecessors. Since the first spring vegetable is harvested early, tomato seedlings are usually planted in its place. And some summer residents sow radishes next to potatoes, onions, garlic, beets, and cabbage - such compatibility is beneficial for them. It has been noticed that under the influence of beans, especially tasty root vegetables ripen, and in the vicinity of head lettuce they are not bothered by earthen fleas.

Seed preparation

Fresh seeds usually have a germination rate of at least 90%; during long-term storage it drops. First, low-quality seeds are rejected - to do this, just pour them into a glass and fill with clean water. Those that do not sink to the bottom after a few minutes can be drained along with the water.

Then disinfection is carried out by pouring the seed with a solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes, then rinsing with running water. Some gardeners stop there, drying it slightly for easy sowing. Others are also soaked in a solution of growth stimulants.

This treatment significantly speeds up germination. However, more often the seeds are soaked for a day in water for pecking - they are placed on damp gauze, covered with the same on top, and placed in a warm place. The next day, they are sprinkled with chalk or starch to make sowing easier, and the “sowing season” begins.

Planting methods

Radishes are planted in early spring, as soon as the ground thaws. In most regions this occurs from the second half of March to mid-April. In places where the snow does not melt until May, the seedling method of cultivation is used.

In the spring, varieties of the European variety - one-year radishes - are planted, but the two-year-old (Asian variety) can be sown in the fall, when frosts have already arrived. In winter it will not freeze, it will undergo natural stratification, germinate, and when the snow melts, the harvest will be produced two weeks earlier.

Seeds in open ground

In the garden bed, grooves are made 2 cm deep, leaving 5 cm between them, and at least 15 cm between each pair of such grooves. Thanks to such spaces, the grown plants do not shade each other. For the same purpose, the seeds are placed in the grooves individually every 5 cm in a checkerboard pattern - this is the most common sowing pattern. Varieties with large root crops are planted less frequently.

The grooves are shed with water. Then the hatched seeds are placed in them manually or a special device is used. Some people stick planting material onto paper strips using paste, and then simply lay them on the ground and cover them. The filled grooves are lightly pressed down with a roller or reverse side glanders. It is advisable to mulch the crops with high-moor peat, sawdust, then water and cover with film or (even better) non-woven fabric. The film is removed when shoots appear, but the non-woven fabric can be left until the weather warms up - water, air and even sunlight penetrate through it, the plants can sprout and grow by lifting it.

Growing seedlings and planting

You can prepare seedlings at home: sow radishes in boxes 10 cm high, provide them with regular moisture, bright light for 12 hours and an air temperature of +20 °C during the day and +10 °C at night. As you can see, this type of radish care is simple. It is advisable to lower the temperature to prevent the seedlings from becoming too elongated if the planting time is delayed.

When thinning crops, it is easy to damage the delicate roots. Those vegetable growers who simply pinch off weak plants from the ground, rather than pull them out, do the right thing. Plants can be replanted in the garden when the weather permits, regardless of the number of leaves. But it’s not worth diving - if you damage the root even a little, the plant will throw out a flower arrow.

Planting and caring for radishes does not take much time compared to growing other vegetables. Favorable conditions for its growth are moisture, warmth and light. It is not afraid of light frosts, but grows in warm weather. You need to water frequently, but do not overwater. Sometimes, during frequent rains, the bed is even covered with film.

Irregular watering harms the root crop - insufficient watering makes it hard, and excessive watering provokes cracking.

In addition, excess moisture can lead to rot. You need to loosen the row spacing carefully, do not let the grass grow, and if the vegetable ripens quickly, the weeds will not have time to “strangle” it. Fertilizing is not needed if the site has been well prepared, but if fertilizers are used, then very sparingly: excess nitrogen will lead to luxurious greenery and weak root crops, and excess potassium will lead to twisted turnips.

Spraying with solutions of ash, tobacco, onion peels, garlic and soap will perfectly protect against pests. Over the summer you can grow your own seeds by replanting 2-3 plants. The weather will tell you how many times per season you can get a harvest: you can sow again when the heat does not exceed +26 °C, providing shading for 12 hours a day.

Video “Planting radishes”

From this video you will learn how to plant radishes correctly.