Growing Radish

GROW YOUR OWN RADISH

Radishes are quick and easy to grow and is one of the few vegetables that can be grown all year round and because they grow so quickly, they’re an ideal crop for beginner veggie growers. Here’s how to grow these brightly coloured gardening gems!

Sowing and Planting

• Choose a warm, sheltered spot that receives full sun. If planting in the summer, you can opt for a semi shady spot.
• Work compost into the top 15cm of soil and remove any large stones or other objects that could damage your radish roots.
• Sow radish seeds thinly in shallow furrows. Be careful not to sow them too closely together as this will lead to lots of foliage and limited root development below the ground.
• Once you have sown the seeds, cover them with a sprinkling of soil and gently firm down. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy.
• The radishes should germinate within 4-8 days and be fully matured within 3-6 weeks. Once germinated, water them as needed and look forward to a tasty crop of fresh radishes within a few weeks
• Your radishes will be ready to harvest as soon as 3-5 weeks after sowing, so make sure to sow a new crop every two weeks to ensure a constant supply.

Harvesting And Storage

• Radishes need to be grown steadily and harvested young to ensure they remain succulent, otherwise they can become woody and inedible.
• 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.
• Once at home, remove the top greens as they rob nutrients of the roots. Then wash thoroughly in clean water to rid off surface dust and soil. 
• Store them in a zip pouch or plastic bag in the refrigerator where they remain fresh for up to a week.

Few Health Benefits Of Radish

• Digestive Health- Radishes stimulate the production of bile. Maintaining a healthy level of bile production is beneficial for digestion, as well as liver and gallbladder health. Additionally, radishes can be used to treat constipation, because they are very high in fiber.
• Jaundice- Radish is very good for the liver and the stomach and it is a very good detoxifier too, that is, it purifies blood. It is miraculously useful in jaundice as it helps removing bilirubin and also checks its production.
• Weight Loss- Because radishes are high in fiber, low in calories, and low on the glycemic index, they make a great part of any weight loss diet.
• Vitamin C- Just half a cup of radishes makes up about 14 percent of your recommended daily amount of vitamin C.
• Kidney Disorders- Being diuretic, cleanser and disinfectant, it helps cure many kidney disorders. Its diuretic properties help wash away the toxins accumulated in the kidneys.

Radish Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 bunches finely diced radishes
• 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 1 raw jalapeno chilli chopped very fine
• juice of 1 lime or 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoonful salt and pepper

Directions

• Combine finely chopped radish,cilantro and jalapeno in a bowl.Add a teaspoonful of lime juice and season it with salt and pepper.
• Combine all ingredients and chill for at least 3 hours before serving.