To grow radishes without seeds, it means you grow the radishes from cuttings and you can purchase the cuttings from the store. Radishes are quite easy to grow and the whole radish plants are always edible, including the roots, flowers, and seed pods.
You can grow your radish cuttings in container garden beds, indoors, or outdoors. Radish is a fast-growing cool-season annual crop. For the smaller varieties, they can be harvested for consumption within a month. The larger varieties known, for example, Daikons take longer.
1) Radish Varieties
Radishes come in various varieties depending on colour, size, flavour and including the length of their maturity. For the smaller roots varieties which produce small roots and are of one-inch diameter long with a few numbers of leaves, they are of white or red colour.
Larger root varieties produce up to 24 inch long roots and have left about 24 inches in length. Examples of radishes under this variety are Daikon radish, Oriental radish, e.t.c.
2) Soil for Growing Radishes
To grow your radishes be it from cuttings or from seeds, you will need well-drained rich soil and it is ideal for the pH to fall between 5.8 and 7.2. The soil has to be free from rocks and pebbles.
If the soil is compacted, loosen it by breaking the big chunks of soil. You can make use of a broad garden fork for that. If the soil is of poor drainage such as clay, you can mix it with some river sand to make it have free drainage.
You should afterwards, mix some organic material such as compost and aged manure. Sprinkling some fertilizer might also be carried out.
3) Growing the Radishes from Cuttings
To grow your radishes:
I) Purchase your radish cuttings from a store or cut the tip of a radish which has a tiny root and proceed to bury it in the ground. Ensure that the soil is kept moist. A new radish plant will come up in a few days. Plant a small radish in the ground and water it. Ensure to water it daily.
4) Watering
- Water adequately but not excessively. Ensure you are consistent with it as uneven watering will make the radishes to split and they can become bitter.
- Hot and dry weather can make the radish become woody and spicy.
- Watering in the morning is necessary and so, ensure that is carried out. Avoid excessive watering. A change in the colour of the leaves to yellow simply means there is excessive watering so be cautious of that.
4) Harvesting
You can harvest the radishes 3 – 8 weeks after planting depending on the varieties. Once mature, harvest them and do not leave them in the ground long after maturity as they can end up becoming hard, fibrous, and spicy. However, slow-growing radishes will become hard. Thus, it is important to maintain good soil moisture and fertility to promote fast growth.
5) Storage
To store your radishes, cut the tops off short. Afterwards, wash the radishes and proceed to dry them thoroughly. The radishes should be stored in plastic bags. Upon storing them in the plastic bags, place the bags in the refrigerator. You can store radish greens separately for up to three days.
Conclusion
Radishes are cold-season vegetables that can be grown in spring and autumn. A soil temperature of between 8°C – 30°C is ideal for growing radishes. You can plant your radish cuttings every 2 – 3 weeks due to its fast rate of growth.
