If you are looking for the perfect vegetable to start your hobby gardener, the radish is a good choice. We'll show you how to plant it.
- Radishes are a popular guest on the lunch plate.
- The red tubers are also ideal for budding hobby gardeners.
- You can grow the radishes in your garden or on the balcony with little effort.
Radishes have long been a classic on the snack board and can easily be added to a salad. But the red tubers taste even better from their own cultivation - and this is extremely easy for budding hobby gardeners.
When is the best time to plant radishes?
In principle, there is no perfect time for sowing the radishes *. Since the bulbous vegetables are ready to harvest within six weeks, you can regularly sow them again between April and August . The decisive factor for the right planting date is the variety: some sprout in spring and others are intended for summer. So if you do it right, you can grow a new variety in your bed every four weeks. Just watch out for the frost : when sowing, you need constant temperatures above five degrees, but the best is 12 to 15 degrees Celsius.
Planting radishes: which location is suitable?
Radishes like a sunny location, but in midsummer it makes sense to transplant them to a spot in partial shade - they don't dry out. The soil should be evenly moist, humus-rich and permeable , but not too light. Otherwise the roots of the plants find no hold.
Radishes are a mixed crop of beans *, peas *, tomatoes * and carrots *. The tubers thrive less successfully alongside cucumbers *, strawberries * or other cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower * or kohlrabi. Also make sure that radishes in the field should only be grown in the same location again after four years, so that the soil can recover.
Fittingly : If you forget this thing while growing vegetables, diseases and pests are at risk.
Prefer radishes: how to sow and prick them
Radishes, like many other plants that are propagated from seeds, can also be preferred indoors or in the cold frame. However, hobby gardeners disagree as to whether this is really necessary and the radishes should not be planted outdoors in spring. However, when you prefer the radishes, you can't go much wrong and even advance the harvest of the bulbous vegetables a little. To do this, start sowing the radishes in February .
To prefer the red tubers, you need special growing boxes with a cover so that the seeds can germinate in a warm, humid environment. Alternatively, peat growing pots are available , which you put together and cover with a transparent film. Also use commercial growing soil so that the radishes meet optimal conditions. A bright location is also important so that the young plants do not shoot up.
As soon as the first pairs of leaves develop from the seeds, the seedlings are pricked out. This means that they are taken out of the planter with a pricking stick and separated into a larger pot so that they have more space to develop. From April the first radishes can then be moved outside into the garden bed. As there is still a risk of frost, the best way to protect the young plants is to cover them with a fleece. If you want to avoid this problem, plant the bulbous vegetables in May after the ice saints *.
How to plant radishes in the bed
If you choose direct sowing in the bed, loosen the soil beforehand with a rake or saucer - this should also happen if you have preferred the plants. Then you use compost to fill the soil with nutrients and work everything in nicely. Now you can start sowing.
Divide the bed into rows that are about ten to 15 centimeters apart . There should be a distance of four centimeters between the seeds. You sow these in about one centimeter deep grooves in the bed, which you then close again. Make sure that the radish seeds still get some light , as they develop poorly in the dark. Then the bed is lightly watered.
Also interesting : Which fruits and vegetables can be grown in the shade?
Care tips for radishes
After sowing, you should ensure that the radishes are watered sufficiently and evenly - especially on dry, hot days. If the soil is loose, no further fertilization is usually required . In any case, do not add fresh manure to the radishes, as this promotes pest infestation. Also remove weeds regularly and loosen the soil.
How long will it take to harvest the radishes?
In the radish harvest the motto is: sooner rather than later. Depending on the variety, the first plants can be harvested after about four weeks . Check the size of the radishes three weeks after sowing. If the tubers are already two to three centimeters thick, you can harvest them. The bulbous vegetables should not remain in the bed for longer than six weeks - otherwise the radishes will become woody and lose their pungent taste.
Plant radishes in a pot on the balcony
In a sunny or partially shaded place on the balcony, you can grow your radishes in a pot. You do not have to worry about uncomfortable weather, as the tubers are relatively robust. The soil should be humus-rich and permeable to water - the water flows off well with a little sand. You don't really need fertilizer, but you can work a little compost into the soil superficially.
You can start sowing the radishes in April at temperatures above five degrees. In a larger planter, sow the tubers in rows, each ten centimeters apart. The seeds need at least four centimeters of space before the next in line. Plant the radishes only about an inch deep and lightly cover them with soil. After about a month you can enjoy the tubers from your balcony.
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* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.