Planting radishes: when, how, where - this is how you become an expert

Radishes not only contain many minerals and vitamins, but also various mustard oils. These ensure a piquant and pungent taste, stimulate the metabolism and have an antibacterial effect. Some varieties are rather spicy, while others are slightly mild. With just a few steps, you too can soon be harvesting your own radishes and officially call yourself an expert.

The story of the radish

To this day it is not entirely clear where the radish really came to us from. On the one hand, they could have originated in East Asia, as they have been cultivated as ornamental plants in China and Japan since ancient times. They may also be derived from the wild herb Raphanus landra, which is widespread in the Mediterranean region, or are a breed of radish. The radish plant was only known in Central Europe since the 14th century.

Of course there are different varieties, some are better suited for certain times of the year. For example, the varieties Saxa, Neckarperle or Cyros are suitable for spring cultivation. For summer cultivation: Parat, Sora or Raxe.

When can you plant radishes?

You can sow your radishes outdoors from April to September. However, if you want to bring them forward, you can bring them forward in your apartment in mid-March.

The right place to plant radishes

If you decide to plant radishes, the right location plays an important role. Radish plants like it like sunny to semi-shady. 3-4 hours of sun a day would be ideal. Rain and wind don't bother the radish plants, so they can also grow in an unprotected location.

This is how you succeed in growing your radish plants

In order to plant radishes, you don't necessarily have to prefer them. They grow incredibly fast. Of course you can still prefer your radishes on the windowsill.

Step 1: Prepare your seed tray by filling it with potting soil. You can get potting soil in any hardware store or garden center. It is poorer in nutrients than normal soil. If the seedlings get a lot of nutrients right from the start, they will not develop strong roots. A high salt concentration in the soil can also inhibit the germination of seedlings.

Step 2: Sow your radish seeds about 1 cm deep into the ground from mid-March. A distance of 4-5cm between the plants would be optimal here.

Step 3: Now moisten the soil with some water. A spray bottle works best here, as it moistens everything evenly.

Step 4: After about 1 week you can already see the first cotyledons

Urban gardening: plant radishes on the balcony

Planting radishes on the balcony is particularly easy. In a 100x20cm box, you can plant 40 radishes. From temperatures of around 10°C, you can plant your radishes directly on the balcony. Use vegetable soil for this, which you can get in any hardware store or garden center. We can recommend you some garden centers in and around Berlin.

Would you like to plant more vegetables on your balcony that don't take up much space? Then try growing lettuce.

The optimal care after planting radishes

Water radish plants

Your radish plants should never dry out completely, so always keep them moist. However, they do not tolerate waterlogging, so make sure that the irrigation water can always run off.

Fertilize radishes: preferably a little less

Radishes are so-called weak eaters, which means they require little or no additional fertilizer. Usually there is already enough fertilizer in the previous vegetable soil. However, the radish plants must not be given fresh stable manure, as this encourages pest infestation. If the nitrogen supply to the plants is too high, the tubers will turn black. So it's better to fertilize too little than too much.

With these 3 DIY recipes you can easily make fertilizer yourself, just try it out.

Harvesting your radishes

You can harvest your radishes between May and October, depending on when you sowed them. The finished radishes should not be too big. Then they lose their taste and become woody easily. The fruit should have a diameter of 4-5cm, which is reached after about 4-6 weeks.

Tip: If you sow your radishes every 4 weeks, you will have a regular harvest all year round.

Radishes need sun, the soil should never dry out and you can grow them perfectly on your balcony. Planting radishes is not difficult at all. Hopefully we could inspire you to grow radishes.