How to prepare radish seeds for outdoor planting?

Radish is a popular spring vegetable. Its value is due to its unpretentiousness, ease of care, early maturity, the possibility of early planting in open ground, usefulness and taste characteristics. While other vegetable crops are at the seedling stage, its juicy roots are already supplying the human body with useful substances, making it possible to replenish the vitamin deficiency after a long winter.

The optimal timing for planting a vegetable crop

Planting radishes in open ground occurs earlier than other vegetable crops due to its ability to withstand cold and even easily endure night frosts. You can start sowing as early as late March or early April. To speed up the germination process, the crops must be covered using a film material. Early maturing radish varieties allow the first crop to be harvested as early as three to four weeks after germination.

The planting period of radish in summer varies depending on the variety, the time of its collection and ripening.

It is necessary to plant early varieties in early June, and mid-season ones - in July, only when using the seedling method. You can also sow late-ripening varieties in open ground at the end of August or September.
And courageous gardeners sow a vegetable before winter before the onset of the first frost. Sowing in the winter allows you to get a harvest earlier than any early variety planted in spring ripens.

Preparation for sowing radishes

Radish seeds for planting

Planting radishes is a simple procedure. Common problems that can arise in the process of growing a crop are root friability, bitterness, and the formation of peduncles before harvest. But all these difficulties are resolved by a competent choice of a variety and adherence to cultivation techniques. therefore to get a rich harvest, it is important to choose high-quality planting material in advance and prepare the soil.

Selection and preparation of seeds that are going to plant

The best option is to buy seeds from specialty stores. First, you need to sort through them, sorting by size. The key to the friendly germination and development of the largest root crops is considered to be seeds with a length of 3 cm or more. Soak the seeds in water or a damp cloth for 24 hours before planting. And before sowing, soak in hot water for 20 minutes to protect against the development of various diseases.After warming up, cool, enrich them with useful microelements, by treatment with growth stimulants, and dry thoroughly.

Preparing the soil in spring, we will ensure good early shoots

Soil preparation for planting

For the full growth and development of radishes, you need to prepare a favorable soil. The culture prefers loose, nutritious, well-drained soil with an optimum acidity of 5.5-7.0.
When choosing a site, give preference to a warm one, protected from strong winds. It also matters how much sunlight per day falls on the landing site. In accordance with crop rotation norms, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, cucumbers and legumes are considered the best predecessors.

Growing a root crop for more than three years in the same place is not recommended, as the plant depletes the soil.

The ideal solution is to plant a radish every year in a new garden bed, which will help improve the crop rotation in the garden.

The soil should be prepared in the fall. To do this, clear the site of plant residues, dig up and enrich with compost or humus. With the onset of spring, as soon as the earth thaws under the warm rays of the sun, before planting a vegetable, it must be dug up again, adding minerals.

Correct planting technology, planting at the correct depth

When sowing radishes, shallow embedding is preferable

Growing radishes in open ground provides for a competently carried out planting, which includes the following operations:

1. Level the prepared bed, mark the sowing grooves, observing a distance of 10 cm between them. Acceptable embedment depth 1 cm. Deep seeding will lead to a change in the shape of the root crop.
2. Plant the planting material in the grooves, having previously watered them with hot water. Sow seeds at a distance of 5 cm between plants. It is not worth it thicker, otherwise you will have to spend energy trying to plant them.
3. Sprinkle with soil and compact well to achieve maximum adherence of the soil to the plane of the seed, which will accelerate germination.
4. After sowing, water the beds and fertilize with wood ash.
   Under comfortable weather conditions, seedlings will appear in 3-4 days.

Planting a vegetable in egg cells

You can plant radishes in egg cells. This method has been tried and tested by many gardeners and is recognized as the best. As a result of this approach, the ripe radish has an even and neat shape. BUT thinning is not required during standard care.
This requires:

1. Prepare the bed by digging and loosening in the traditional way. After that, the soil must be leveled.
2. Cut off the bottom of the cells with a knife and lay it on the ground, pressing it slightly with the holes down to the ground. Fill the cells with soil and put one seed in each hole.
3. Top the crops with soil and water thoroughly.
   When sown in egg trays, radishes will sprout with the same activity as with the usual method. In addition, a certain landing pattern will be automatically followed.

   Planting radishes in egg trays

Freshly planted plant care, watering regime

Further care of crops includes the following activities:

1. Maintaining a certain humidity regime.
   Watering is considered an important care operation, since the growth, development and yield of a vegetable crop depends on it. Therefore, after planting, irrigation must be carried out daily, preventing the topsoil from drying out, otherwise the taste of the root crops will deteriorate, they will become bitter, and also decrease in size. Favorable time for watering is morning and evening.
2. Thinning of frequent shoots.
   The procedure should be carried out on the fifth day after the emergence of seedlings, while leaving the stronger plants. For good ripening and high-quality fruiting of the vegetable, the seedlings should be at a distance of 5 cm from each other.
3. Loosening the soil.
   Excessive moisture and its stagnation can lead to cracking of root crops or the appearance of diseases such as keela, black rot. To prevent this from happening, after watering, you need to loosen the soil. Do this carefully, without damaging the root and growing root crop.
4. Top dressing with a complex of fertilizers.
   The culture responds well to organic and mineral nutrition. After each fertilization, mulching must be carried out using a mixture of peat and rotted manure. This will facilitate the absorption of fertilizers, as well as protect the plant from weed growth and maintain a moist environment.
5. Timely measures to protect against diseases and pests.
   It is necessary to constantly inspect the plants for the identification of foci of damage to its diseases and pests and, if a problem is detected, correctly prescribe treatment using proven protective equipment.

   Soil cultivation and fertilizing products

Secrets of growing in the open field, thinning and feeding

There are some secrets to growing quality root crops in open field conditions.

1. Every vegetable grower can face such a problem when the plant goes to the arrow, after which it blooms. To avoid this, planting density, dry soil and low temperature indicators should be avoided.
2. You cannot add fresh manure to the soil, this will make the radish hollow inside. Top dressing should be carried out using rotted organic matter.
3. When planting, it is advisable to sow one seed at a time, since thinning damages the root system of the main plant, resulting in poor growth and arrow formation.
4. When growing, do not use chemicals, since there is a high probability of getting them into food. Therefore, radishes need to be sprayed only using folk remedies, which can be infusions of garlic, wormwood, celandine, tobacco crumbs.

   The first feeding of radish seedlings

Pests and the fight against them

Diseases can reduce the quantity and quality of the crop and cause the death of radishes, and pests will take away the long-awaited harvest, as they like to feast on young radishes.

Therefore, it is important to establish the first signs of the disease in time and take appropriate measures that will help the plant to cope with them faster.

Name	Description	Control measures
Keela	Presence on the surface of the fetus swellings and growths that become cause yellowing and wilting leaves	Dig up the plant affected by the keel and burn, and cover the soil with slaked lime. For 4 years, vegetable crops have been do not cultivate this plot
Powdery mildew	On the surface of leaves, petioles a bloom of white is formed powdery color, which with acquires a light brown tint	Organization of crop rotation and processing plants by means of suppressing the development of this disease
Bacteriosis	Root vegetables are covered with mucus and begin to exude a rotten smell. At the same time, yellowing is observed radish leaves	To fight, you need to process Bordeaux liquid
Pests
Cruciferous flea	Small insect with dark color and metallic shine damages the leaves, so most disrupting the process photosynthesis. As a result, the plant stops growing and dies	For prevention, organize the correct care. If damaged, process the radish appropriate drugs. Before than to treat with insecticides, you need try sparing folk ways
Belyanka	White butterfly larvae gnaw at the foliage from the edges or gnaw through holes, than cause irreparable harm culture

Flea-infested radish

Harvesting what we managed to grow

Radishes should be harvested selectively, as they ripen. When a medium-sized root crop is reached, you need to gently pull it out, taking it by the tops and pulling it up, and you can serve it to the table. And leave the rest to grow to technical ripeness.
It is easy to harvest radishes, it is important to do it in a timely manner.But even if you are late with the collection of this vegetable, then in this case you can get seeds for the next planting.

You can cultivate radishes in the open field throughout the summer season.

Even novice gardeners can cope with the simple rules of planting and care. These rules, of course, differ in the Leningrad region, in the Urals or in Krasnodar. It is important to plant the radish in the garden in a timely manner and create comfortable conditions for it to grow.

Radish is a popular crop among gardeners. This vegetable is very useful for the body, as it contains many vitamins that have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system and significantly increase the level of hemoglobin in the blood. In order to harvest a good juicy crop, it is necessary to take into account some of the features of the root crop.Therefore, it is worth figuring out how to plant radishes correctly in the spring and take care so that they do not go into the arrows and contain the maximum amount of nutrients.

Features of growing radishes

Radish is considered a cold-resistant crop, and therefore, for the cultivation of this root crop, it is possible not to select a separate bed, but to plant it earlier than other heat-loving plants, since by the time they are planted in open ground, the crop will already be harvested. This is provided that the vegetable is needed especially in the spring.

To keep radishes on the table throughout the season, they can be planted every 7-10 days, but excluding June... This is due to the fact that this culture actively grows the root during the period of short daylight hours (up to 10 hours), which has a beneficial effect on the harvest. And when the length of daylight hours increases, the plant enters the reproduction phase, which is expressed in arrowing. Therefore, when re-sowing radishes in the summer, it is necessary to take this feature into account, as well as select varieties of a late ripening period.

The main ingredients for success in growing radishes are:

• selection of the optimal variety;
• adherence to the timing of the landing;
• selection of a suitable site, taking into account the characteristics of the radish;
• correct sowing;
• maintaining an optimal level of soil moisture;
• timely feeding;
• protection against pests.

Considering all these conditions, you can count on a good harvest of radishes without much difficulty.

Video: tricks for growing radishes

Optimal sowing dates for radishes in spring and summer

Even a beginner can successfully grow radishes, but initially it is necessary to correctly determine the optimal sowing time. You can start early spring planting of radishes in open ground from March, without fear of freezing seeds. However, it is imperative to cover the bed with a film or build a small film greenhouse, since the radish can begin to grow at temperatures from -1 to -2 degrees and withstand frosts down to -4 degrees.

The optimum temperature for the full growth and development of a vegetable is considered to be +15 - +18 degrees, and with an increase in these indicators, a rapid increase in tops occurs to the detriment of the formation of fruits.

Many gardeners believe that planting radishes should be carried out precisely according to the lunar calendar.

Auspicious days according to the lunar calendar, when you should sow radishes in 2018 in open ground, are the following days:

• in March - 20-23;
• in April - 6-9, 19-20, 23-29;
• in May - 7-10, 19-24.

The following are considered unfavorable days for sowing radishes in 2018:

• in March - 1-3, 16, 30;
• in April - 15-17, 29-30;
• in May - 14-16, 28-30.

More accurate terms for sowing radish, based on the climatic characteristics of the region, can be determined independently, taking into account the air temperature:

• up to 10 degrees Celsius - seedlings will develop in a slow mode, so they will appear within 10 - 14 days;
• in the range from 10 to 15 degrees - seeds will germinate within 7 days;
• within 15 - 20 degrees - the sprouts will appear within 3 days.

The first selective harvest of radishes can be harvested in 20-25 days.In order to maximize the harvest of the spring harvest, it is advisable to plant every 7 days until mid-May, since it is no longer recommended to plant radishes in June.

Summer sowing of radishes should be carried out from early July to early August. To avoid shooting with excess lighting, you should cover the crops with dark geotextiles in arcs in the afternoon.

Important! It is impossible to cover radish crops in summer with a film, since under the influence of sunlight under the shelter, the temperature will rise significantly, which will lead to the death of seedlings.

Video: growing radishes all summer

How to properly plant radishes in open ground

To get a good harvest, it is necessary not only to correctly calculate the sowing time, but also to prepare the site for planting and seeds in advance. For this, it is recommended to carry out a number of procedures, which will have a beneficial effect on the final result.

Preparing the beds and soil for planting radishes

For early spring planting of radishes in open ground, experts recommend preparing a site for planting in the fall. And since all root crops respond well to organic matter, you should add rotted compost or humus at the rate of 1 bucket per meter of area and dig it onto a shovel bayonet.

Important! You should not add fresh manure to the ground, as it emits carbon dioxide, which has a depressing effect on plants.

In the case of clay soil, a little sand should be added, as the radish prefers to grow on loose, light soils with neutral or low acidity. In the spring, 2 weeks before planting, the soil should be loosened and mineral fertilizers should be added to it in the following proportion for each square meter of the garden:

• ammonium nitrate 10-15 g;
• superphosphate 20-25 g;
• potassium sulphide 15-20 g.

Finally, the area should be leveled to eliminate gaps and unevenness.

For planting radishes, it is better to choose a place where the sun is early in the morning until midday, and in the evening it goes into partial shade.

Experts recommend planting radishes in a new place every year, which helps to improve crop rotation. But you cannot plant a root crop after other cruciferous crops: watercress, cabbage, mustard, since they are prone to the same diseases.

Preparing radish seeds

Before sowing radishes, seed preparation should be carried out, which will help to significantly increase the percentage of germination. Initially, it is desirable to carry out a selection, excluding damaged and defective specimens.

In the future, in order to determine their viability, it is necessary:

• dip the seeds in a saline solution at the rate of 50 g of salt per 1 liter of water;
• soak for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden stick;
• drain all the seeds that have floated to the surface;
• all specimens that have settled to the bottom must be rinsed under running water and dried, as they will be used for sowing.

Important! The better the selection of seeds is carried out at this stage, the better their germination will be.

To exclude the defeat of seedlings with a fungal disease, it is recommended to carry out disinfection radish seeds using potassium permanganate. This requires:

• dissolve the crystals of the product in water at the rate of 1 mg per 1 liter of water so that the solution acquires a bright pink hue;
• wrap the radish seeds in a gauze bag and dip in the mixture for 15 minutes;
• after the expiration of time, rinse them in clean water and dry until they are free-flowing.

To stimulate the growth processes of seeds, they can be carried out pelleting, which will help to strengthen the immune system and ensure the full development of plants in the future.

For this, the planting material is soaked in "Epine" (2-3 drops per 1 liter of water) or in "Zircon " (0.025 ml per 100 ml of water) for 3 hours. After that, the seeds must be dried and sown.

In the case of early spring planting of radishes in open ground (for example, at the end of March), it is recommended to carry out hardening seeds to increase their resistance to possible temperature extremes. This procedure is carried out as follows:

• wrap the planting material and leave for 1 day at room temperature;
• then put it in the refrigerator for 4 hours;
• repeat the alternation of contrasting content until the seeds hatch;
• sowing in moist soil.

Important! It is necessary to plant radish seeds in open ground immediately after the preparatory procedures, since the growth processes in them have already been activated.

Direct landing technology

There are several ways to plant radishes in the garden, so each gardener can choose based on the area of ​​the site and their personal preferences.

The most common method is radish planting.in rows. To do this, you must follow certain rules that will help you get a good harvest.

1. Smooth the surface of the bed.
2. Make rows at a depth of 0.5-1 cm and with row spacing of 10 cm.
3. Water and allow moisture to absorb.
4. Spread the seeds 5 cm apart.
5. Sprinkle the seeds with earth and compact so that there are no voids.

Shoots will appear on day 3-4. To speed up the ripening process, it is recommended daily from 5 pm cover the radish garden with plastic wrap, and take it off in the morning.

The second common method of planting radishes in open ground is suitable for gardeners who have a small garden plot, and everything needs to be placed. Therefore, in this case, the landing is carried out one continuous canvas. And in order to place the seeds at the optimal distance from each other, use egg cassettes.

1. Smooth the surface of the bed.
2. Water it abundantly and wait until the moisture is absorbed.
3. Press the cassette to the ground so that the cells are clearly imprinted.
4. Place the seeds, one at a time, in each well.
5. Cover the crops with soil and compact for better contact with the soil.

This method can be used after thoroughly cleaning the beds from weeds, so in the future it will not be possible to remove them before harvesting.

Further care of the radish

Radish is a moisture-loving vegetable, and therefore, for its active growth and development, it is necessary that the soil is constantly moist. But at the same time, a certain balance should be maintained, since an excess of moisture leads to cracking, and a lack of watering leads to the formation of small fruits.

The growing season of this vegetable is relatively short, and therefore, if fertilizers are applied to the soil before planting, the nutrients will be quite enough for the full development of the radish.

But if this has not been done, it is recommended a week after the emergence of seedlings to feed the radish with organic fertilizers: rotted mullein in a ratio of 1:10 or fermented chicken droppings 1:20. And 10 days after that, it is necessary to use 20 g superphosphate and 15 g potassium sulphide per 10 liters of water.

Note! It is important not to overdo it with fertilizers, as their excess leads to an increased growth of green mass and further arrowing.

Throughout the entire period of growth of the radish, it is necessary to carry out regular loosening of the soil in order to improve the access of oxygen to the roots. Therefore, experts recommend shallow cultivation of the row spacing after watering to prevent the formation of a crust on the soil. And it is also necessary to remove weeds in a timely manner, which will prevent the full growth of root crops and take nutrients from the soil.

As the fruits ripen, selective harvesting should be carried out, which will allow neighboring plants to develop.

At the initial stage of growth, a red-colored flea inflicts serious damage to the radish, which is expressed in slow growth and deformation of seedlings.To prevent this, timely pollination of the foliage with tobacco dust or wood ash should be carried out and the crops should be covered with non-woven material, which will protect against the encroachments of the pest.

When to harvest radishes and how to store

Harvesting radishes must be carried out, based on the size of root crops, in 2-3 stages, that is, first the largest, and after a week or another, the rest. 2 hours before harvesting, water the garden bed, which will make it possible to pull out the radishes without much difficulty. After that, it is recommended to peel the fruits from the tops and shorten the tip to prevent premature wilting.

For storage of radishes, it is recommended to use plastic bags, which are later placed in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. In this way, the fruits can be stored for several days.

Any even inexperienced gardener can grow a good harvest of radishes, if he adheres to the recommendations and simple rules of care. And if you ignore them, you should not be surprised at the result obtained, which may differ significantly from the desired one.

Video: planting radishes in open ground

Foreword

As soon as the snow melts, gardeners can not wait to start sowing. Usually, the first planting of radishes begins in the spring, when the ground has already thawed and the sun has begun to warm up.

A few words about radish

The popularity of this root vegetable can be explained very simply. After all, this is an opportunity to crunch the first spring salads, get a portion of "fresh" vitamins, and for those who like to tinker in the beds - an excellent reason to start the garden season.

The radish plant belongs to the cruciferous family. The Asian lands are considered the birthplace of this culture, from where it later spread, first to China, and then to the rest of the world. Radish appeared on domestic tables thanks to the merchants of the time of Peter the Great. This spicy and juicy vegetable was adopted immediately, and became widespread throughout the Russian territory.

Radish contains phosphorus, sodium, calcium, magnesium and iron, therefore it has a positive effect on the state of the cardiovascular system and increases blood hemoglobin. Choleretic properties and high fiber content helps to normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and gallbladder. With radishes, our body, weakened by the long winter, receives the first vitamins, among which the main place is occupied by vitamins of group B, as well as C and PP.

The growing season of radish can be one or two years. Annual varieties are more convenient to grow, so those that give seeds in the year of sowing are popular among gardeners. The shape of the root crop is very different: round, oblong, flat-rounded, elongated and in the form of a spindle. By color, you can choose red, pink, white and even yellow or purple radishes. Depending on the region and the timing of growing this crop, it is sown both in greenhouses or hotbeds, and in open ground.

Planting radishes in spring - five rules for a good harvest

Taking into account that radish develops better with a short daylight hours, it should be sown at the appropriate time. Soil moisture directly affects the formation of root crops, and the availability of the necessary fertilizers and temperature conditions - on the quantity and quality of the crop. Therefore, despite the seeming simplicity of growing radishes, only compliance with certain requirements guarantees a worthy reward for your work in the end.

Rule one - timing

Early varieties of radishes allow you to get the first harvest after three to four weeks from the day of germination. Therefore, as soon as warm days are established, you can begin to prepare the beds. Radish is a fairly cold-resistant plant, it can withstand night frosts up to minus 5 - 6 degrees without losses, but at low daytime temperatures (up to +8), seedlings will appear for a long time.The best sowing dates are considered the end of March - the beginning of April, when the sun generously gives warmth, warming up the earth and air. More precisely, you can determine the lines when you can sow radishes yourself, based on the fact that at a temperature:

• up to + 10 degrees - you will have to wait a long time for seedlings;
• from +10 to +15 - they will appear in a week;
• closer to +18 ... +22 - the first greens will hatch on the fourth day.

The most favorable average daily temperature for the successful formation of a root crop is considered to be + 20 degrees.

Depending on when such weather conditions are expected in your area, you should choose, and the days when to plant radishes.

The first selective harvest begins to be harvested after 20-25 days, and then the rest ripens. To maximize the "radish" season, you need to sow it at intervals of one week. So, gradually ripening, the harvest will delight you all spring with young, juicy vegetables.

It is interesting! It was due to the relatively short growing season that the radish was chosen for cultivation on the International Space Station. On its basis, studies of the genetic characteristics of crops grown in zero gravity were carried out.

Closer to the beginning of summer, it is recommended to stop sowing, since a long daylight hours and hot weather quickly lead to plant shoots and a decrease in the taste of the root crop. It will be possible to resume the cultivation of radishes only in September.

Rule two - soil

Like most other garden crops, radishes love fertile soil. Therefore, before sowing radishes, you need to choose the most suitable site and prepare the land.

Given the good responsiveness of root crops to organic fertilizers, it is better to prepare a garden for radishes in the fall. To do this, compost, humus or manure are introduced into the ground and dug about thirty centimeters. If the soil is too clayey, then a little peat or coarse river sand should be added, because radish crops grow better on loose, light soils. When applying mineral fertilizers per square meter of land, the addition of ammonium nitrate (10-15 g), superphosphate (20-25 g) and potassium chloride (15-20 g) shows good results. The acidity of the soil for radishes is better neutral, in extreme cases, slightly acidic is allowed.

Sowing radish in open ground is carried out in sunny, wind-protected areas. The southern and southeastern sides are considered the best for spring crops, where the ground thaws faster and there is plenty of light for future entrances. Experience shows that radish is an excellent precursor for many garden crops, it perfectly prepares the soil for tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and cucumbers. It is especially convenient to grow radishes in a new place every year, which helps to improve the crop rotation in the garden. The only exceptions are cruciferous plants - cabbage, mustard, watercress and others, which can transmit diseases of this family to the next plantings.

Advice! Radish is an excellent compactor and a kind of "marker" for other crops.

By sowing radish seeds next to cucumber seedlings or rows of potatoes, you will harvest two crops from the same bed. And the spring planting of onions on greens, sowing of dill and lettuce will be perfectly combined with rows of early radishes.

Many gardeners know how laborious the first weeding of carrot beds is - its thin, barely noticeable shoots are difficult to see among the weeds that have risen. And it is here that rare radish bushes, sown together with carrot seeds, help to determine future rows.

Rule three - sowing

When growing radishes in a greenhouse or film greenhouse, radishes are often sown without preliminary seed preparation. Between the grooves, a distance of about the width of the palm is kept, and the seeds are covered with a two-centimeter layer of earth. After the emergence of seedlings, it is advisable to thin out the crops, leaving 3 - 5 cm between adjacent bushes.If sowing is carried out more carefully, introducing seeds, taking into account the required distance, then there will be no need to break through the entrances.

Advice! In order to sow radishes faster and better, you can stick its seeds on long strips of paper even in winter and dry them. In the spring, it will be enough to simply lay these tapes in moistened grooves and cover them with earth.

Sometimes sowing radishes, especially in the northern regions, requires preliminary preparation. Calibration of seeds by size and weight is carried out to obtain friendly shoots and simultaneous harvest and is more often used when planting radishes for sale. But soaking and germinating seeds allows you to get faster shoots, and therefore an earlier harvest.

Before planting radishes with seeds, they are wrapped in a linen napkin, placed in a container with a small amount of water at room temperature. Usually the seeds hatch on the second or third day and are ready for sowing.

Rule four - watering

Radish loves watering, that's for sure. Moist soil contributes to the successful formation of a correct, succulent root crop. Therefore, it is necessary to sow seeds in the spilled grooves, and it is undesirable to skip sprinkling of the first shoots, and further care consists in regular, generous watering. Of course, do not forget that moist soil does not at all imply stagnant water in the soil. Excessive moisture invariably leads to root rot.

Advice! It is better to water the March sowings of radishes in film greenhouses with warm water, at a temperature of 25-30 degrees. Such an evening "shower" will not only give the plants a drink, but will also keep warm during nighttime cold snaps.

Rule five - fertilization

Radish - planting and caring for this crop does not take long. With proper preparation of the beds and sufficiently fertile soil, radish planting does not require additional fertilization. The available food will be sufficient for its short growing season. If the fertility of the soil leaves much to be desired, then a week after the appearance of the first shoots, the radish can be fed a little with organic fertilizers. Usually, compost infusion or fermented manure infusion is added to the water for irrigation. Dry last year's humus or chopped cut grass is poured onto the garden bed as mulch. The main thing in radish fertilization is not to overdo it! A large amount of nutrients in the soil will lead to lush vegetation of radish greens, to planting and negatively affect the shape and taste of the root crop.

The best radishes for spring crops

Depending on the sowing time, the optimal varieties of radish are also selected.

• The French breakfast is an early ripe variety. No more than 20-25 days pass from germination to ripening. The shape of the fruit is elongated, 3-4 cm long, bright red in color with a white tip.
• Early red - ripens in 27-30 days. Differs in resistance to shooting. Root crops - rounded, dark red with a white, juicy core.
• Helios. Average ripening period, about 30 days. Excellent taste and unusual, yellow color of the root vegetable allowed this variety to gain popularity.
• Sora. The fruits are large (up to 4-5 cm in diameter), dense, juicy, deep red in color. It is characterized by resistance to high temperatures and diseases, does not form voids. Thanks to this, it can be successfully grown at the end of May and even in June. The popularity of this variety is its high yield.

The first spring vegetable, its fast harvest and easy care makes radishes one of the favorite garden crops. And correctly selected varieties and sowing dates of radish provide your family with vitamin salads for a long time.

Radish is an early-ripening vegetable that is in demand in spring, which contains vitamins necessary for the body after a long winter. The root vegetable is rich in sodium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron.It has a positive effect on the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, and helps to restore strength. Planting radishes in open ground is the most popular way to get a rich harvest of a valuable vegetable.

Sowing dates for radish

Radish has become widespread in many countries. Covered with a thin skin of pink, white-pink or red, the root vegetable has a pungent taste due to the mustard oil contained in its pulp. For normal development, radishes need a daylight hours of at least 13 hours. Due to the short growing season, the root crop can be grown throughout the season, providing a constant supply of fresh crops.

For seed germination, a temperature of 1-2 ° C is enough for radish, the plant develops normally at a temperature of 15-18 ° C. With warmer air and insufficient lighting during a still short spring day, the plant grows tops, the root crop at this time only coarsens, and does not grow.

Radishes are planted in the ground after the soil thaws and warms up. This time usually does not come earlier than mid-April, although the root crop of early varieties in the southern regions is sown in the last decade of March.

At the end of August and in September, after the summer break, radishes are sown again. When planting radishes in summer, it is recommended to cover the plantings with an opaque covering material every day from 6 pm to reduce daylight hours.

Depending on the region, the timing of sowing radish varies: in different climatic zones, the temperature of the soil and air at different times reaches the desired values. In the Moscow region and the middle lane, the period of sowing root crops to open ground begins in the third decade of March and lasts until the end of May.

In the northern regions and in Siberia, the time for planting radishes comes closer to the beginning of May. In the southern Urals, these dates come a little earlier - from April 20-25. In the southern regions, sowing can begin at the end of March.

Seat selection

The area for radishes should be closed from the wind and at least in the first half of the day be illuminated by the sun. For a root crop, a light loose soil with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction is optimal, with a pH value in the range of 5.5-7.0 units. Too acidic soils require liming before planting radishes.

It is good to sow a vegetable on a plot intended in the future for planting tomatoes: sowing radishes on it weekly until May 20, you can get a good harvest of root crops and at the same time prepare the soil for growing tomatoes.

The root crop can be planted in an area where cucumbers, tomatoes or potatoes were previously grown. A good harvest of radish cannot be grown in the garden after cabbage, radish, daikon, watercress, horseradish, turnip, turnip. It is advisable to change the place for radishes every year, so that each time its predecessors are crops from a different family.

Soil preparation

Soil preparation is one of the conditions necessary for growing radishes from seeds. The plot for spring sowing begins to be prepared in the fall: shovels dig up the soil with humus or compost to the depth of the bayonet. Then, in the spring, it is enough to dig a site to a depth of no more than 20 centimeters.

On heavy and cold or poor sandy loam soils, before growing radishes, it is necessary to add 2-3 kilograms of humus per square meter. The soil for radish must not be fertilized with fresh manure.

Variety selection

According to the ripening period, radish varieties for open ground are divided into:

• super-ripening;
• early maturing;
• mid-season;
• late ripening.

Ultra-ripening (ultra-early) varieties of radish ripen within 18-20 days.

Among them, the most famous are:

1. 18 days - cylindrical roots of deep pink color with delicate juicy pulp, reaching maturity during this period;
2. The firstborn is a high-yielding ultra-early hybrid that ripens in 16-18 days, the dark red rounded roots of which are large in size, are resistant to cracking and shooting.

Early ripening varieties include radish varieties that ripen 20-30 days after germination. The best among them:

1. French breakfast is a popular variety with cylindrical long fruits weighing up to 45 grams, dark red in color with a rounded white tip. Prone to shooting in extreme heat conditions.
2. White canine is a variety that ripens in 33-40 days with white conical roots, reaching a mass of 60 grams and a length of 12 centimeters. The taste is weak, the pulp is juicy.
3. Ilka is a high-yielding variety with rounded dense juicy scarlet roots weighing 15-25 grams. Medium-pungent taste without bitterness, white and white-pink flesh. The variety is resistant to temperature drop, pulp woodiness, porosity formation, shooting.
4. Heat is a high-yielding variety that ripens in 3 weeks with small rounded dark red roots weighing up to 25 grams. The taste is weak, the flesh is white or white-pink. Contrary to the name, the variety does not like heat, it should be covered with a canopy, growing in hot weather.
5. Saksa is a long-lasting freshness resistant to flowering variety that ripens in 23-27 days. Round root vegetables weighing about 22 grams, bright red in color, with juicy white flesh with a mild taste.

In the group of mid-season varieties that ripen in 30-35 days, the best ones can be distinguished:

1. Quant is a fruitful variety with pinkish-raspberry roots with a delicate taste, ripens in 30 days, and retains its elasticity for a long time during storage.
2. Vera is a fruitful variety resistant to cracking and stalking, roots of the same size, bright red.
3. Duro is a popular fruitful variety, large fruits reach a diameter of 10 centimeters, resistant to cracking, stalking, woodiness, well stored.
4. Helios is a variety with round yellow roots, pleasant taste, with juicy pulp.
5. Zlata is a large yellow root vegetable, the maximum ripening period is 35 days, the pulp is juicy and tender.

Among the late-ripening varieties, ripening within 36-45 days, are the most popular:

1. Champion is a high-yielding variety that ripens in 40 days, with large, raspberry-red, elongated-rounded roots weighing about 20 grams. Delicate juicy pulp of pinkish-white color has good taste. Root crops do not become soft and flabby for a long time, do not form voids.
2. Rampous is a variety that ripens in 35-45 days, resistant to shooting, with elongated, spindle-shaped white roots with a medium-sharp taste without bitterness.
3. The red giant is resistant to the bear and cruciferous flea beetle, an excellently stored fruitful variety with large cylindrical fruits of bright red color up to 14 centimeters long with a mild taste.
4. Ice Icicle is a variety identical to the Red Giant with white roots.
5. Dungan is a cold-resistant variety with elongated root crops up to 15 centimeters long and weighing 45-80 grams. The juicy white pulp has excellent taste.
6. Würzburg-59 is a variety with rounded roots with juicy dense pulp, retains its elasticity for a long time.

Sowing technology

Radish seeds can be sown unprepared, but to improve germination and shorten germination time, they are calibrated by sifting through a sieve with cells of 2-3 millimeters, and then left overnight in a damp cloth or soaked in warm water.

Large seeds will produce good shoots and, with proper care, large root crops will grow. When choosing seed, it is better to give preference to large brown seeds. The gray color serves as a warning about poor germination: long-stored seeds have it. For disinfection, the selected seeds are soaked for 30 minutes in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate.

Spring sowing

For sowing radishes, grooves are made with a depth of 2 centimeters at a distance of 15-20 centimeters. They are preliminarily shed with water and seeds are sown thickly in them.Having closed the grooves, they cover it with loose soil, compact the surface, but do not water it, but cover the bed with a layer of humus or peat 2 centimeters thick.

Before seed germination, the site is covered with a film at night (after 5 pm and until the morning). The germination time depends on the weather conditions. In good, sunny and dry weather, seeds can germinate as early as 3-4 days.

Seedlings are thinned out at the stage of development of the first leaf. It is recommended to leave a distance of 3-5 centimeters between plants. It is better to immediately sow the seeds at the specified distance so that later you do not have to break through the seedlings, since during this procedure the roots of the main seedlings are often damaged, which can lead to a deterioration in development and shooting.

If there is very little space on the garden plot, when sowing radishes, a special marker is used - a board with teeth made on it to a depth of 1 centimeter according to a 5x5 centimeters pattern.

In this way, 400 seeds can be placed on one square meter. The sowing is solid, not in rows. The radish will grow one to one. Before sowing, the soil must be uniform, moist and free of lumps.

The marker is placed on the ground and walked on it, pressing it into the ground. Seeds are laid out into the resulting even holes, covered with earth and pressed with the palm of your hand. From one square meter of a bed with such sowing, you can get a crop of up to 5 kilograms.

Planting radishes before winter

A two-year-old winter radish is planted in late autumn. Planting is carried out from mid to late November, after the start of frost. For winter sowing, the varieties Spartak, Mayak, Yubileiny, Mercado, Carmen are suitable, which germinate even at low temperatures.

At the end of summer, the site is prepared for sowing: the soil is dug up and applied to 1 square meter in half a bucket of rotted compost or humus and 1 tablespoon of potassium sulfate and double superphosphate. After applying fertilizers, the garden bed is covered with a film and pressed along the edges with bricks or stones so that the wind does not take away the shelter.

The difference between autumn sowing and spring sowing is that the seeds need to be thrown into dry soil, and the bed must be mulched with peat or dry soil after seeding the seeds. After sowing, the soil surface must be compacted and covered with snow, if by that time it has already fallen out.

The advantage of sowing in winter is that next year the radish harvest will be able to be obtained 2 weeks earlier than the one that the vegetable sown in spring will give.

Radish care

Timely watering, top dressing, weeding and loosening of row spacings, pest control are the main procedures for caring for radishes in the open field. A layer of mulch placed on the garden bed after sowing will greatly facilitate maintenance.

Watering

Radish is a moisture-loving culture. For the normal development of root crops, soil moisture should be about 80%. The site, especially at first, will have to be watered often, otherwise the radish will be bitter. For the first watering after planting, use warm water and a watering can with a divider.

Warm water is especially useful if the plants are watered in the evening - when the temperature drops at night, it will keep warm. Insufficient watering can cause plant shoots and stunted root crops.

If it rains and thunderstorms in spring, the radishes are watered daily in the morning or after 5 pm. In a dry spring, you will have to moisten the soil on the site in the morning and evening. After the formation of the first true leaf at the seedlings, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the soil especially strictly. It is possible to grow tasty and juicy roots only on condition that the soil in the beds with radishes is slightly damp all the time.

Top dressing

Radish growing on poor soils needs to be fed 2 times during the growing season. On rich soils, one feeding is enough for a root crop. It is necessary to feed the radish with such fertilizers that can be applied to the soil without the risk of saturating the root crops with hazardous substances.

A balanced mixture of fertilizers will help radish to form a juicy healthy root vegetable:

• humus and compost (the amount depends on the type of soil);
• 1.5 liters of wood ash;
• 10-15 grams of ammonium nitrate;
• 10 grams of superphosphate;
• 10 grams of potassium fertilizer.

If the soil is fertile, you will only need to apply mineral fertilizers to it.

Pest and disease control

The main enemies of the radish are the bear and the cruciferous flea, the rest (caterpillars, aphids, wireworms) do not have time to do much harm to the plant due to its rapid growth.

The cruciferous flea is a danger to radish at an early stage of development, since it can completely destroy young defenseless seedlings in a few days. For mature seedlings, the flea is no longer dangerous.

Spraying the tops with a solution of wood ash will scare away the insect from green young leaves: 50 grams of grated laundry soap and 2 glasses of fresh ash are dissolved in 10 liters of water.

Ashes can be simply scattered over the area. Both of these methods are not highly effective, and the most reliable protection against flea beads is the construction of a shelter from arched metal supports and a spunbond thrown over them. Radish under such a shelter breathes normally, the scorching rays of the sun do not burn the tops, and the cruciferous flea does not penetrate under the spunbond. The shelter can be removed after the tops of the radish have grown.

Medvedka often harms early varieties of radish in the greenhouse, where it creeps to warm up in the spring. In the open field, she does not have time to do much harm to the crop.

Among the diseases for radish, bacteriosis is dangerous, causing premature yellowing of leaves and decay of root crops, a keel, which is determined by yellow leaves and by swelling and growths on roots, and a black leg, which affects plants even at the stage of seedlings, causing yellowing and curling of leaves and blackening stems at the base.

In order to prevent these problems, it is necessary to choose varieties resistant to diseases for growing and observe agrotechnical conditions, and most importantly, remove diseased plants from the site in time.

They fight the keel by treating the soil around the plants with milk of lime (dilute 2 cups of fluffy lime in 10 liters of water). Milk consumption per plant is 1 liter.

Plants affected by a black leg are treated with onion husk infusion 2-3 times with a weekly interval (pour 20 grams of husk with a liter of water and leave for a day).

Collection and storage

Radish does not ripen at the same time, it is harvested selectively, as it ripens. It is better to harvest radish in the morning, watering the garden abundantly the night before. The roots are pulled out, the remaining soil is shaken off them, the tops are cut at a distance of 2-3 centimeters from the root crop, and the roots are not cut off at all.

With long-term storage, the radish becomes flabby and bitter, so it is better to abandon plans for harvesting this vegetable. Juicy fresh radishes can be grown at any time in the garden or in the greenhouse. The harvested crop can be stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator in plastic bags for about a week.