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radishes help spice up salads

Radish 

Radishes need to be grown steadily and harvested young to ensure they remain succulent, otherwise they can become woody and inedible.

Sow little and often and make sure they grow well without any checks to their growth.

Because radishes are quick to mature they can be used as a 'catch crop' being sown between rows of slower-growing vegetables such as peas and potatoes.

They can even be used as row markers of slow-germinating crops, such as parsnip and onion - the radishes germinate quickly, marking out the row where the other crops have been sown and can be pulled before interfering with the main crop

There are also winter cultivars (mooli) whose large roots can be used raw or cooked.

 

Sowing

Sow thinly 13mm (0.5in) deep in rows 15cm (6in) apart for summer types or 23cm (9in) apart for winter ones.

Summer cultivars are sown from March to mid-August; for an early crop sow in February in pre-warmed soil and protect with cloches.
Winter cultivars are sown in July or August.

Growing

By sowing seed thinly (approximately 2.5cm/1in apart) there should be no need for thinning summer cultivars, but any that is needed should be done as soon as possible. Winter cultivars should be thinned to 15cm (6in) apart.

Keep the soil moist to ensure rapid growth, keep the roots fleshy and tasty and prevent splitting. Sowings made in July and August can be a problem due to the hotter, drier conditions, so make sure these are well looked after.

Harvesting

Pull summer radishes as required, making sure they are never left to mature and become woody.

Winter cultivars can be left in the ground and dug up as required, or lifted in November and stored.


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