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Raphanus sativus
Also called Cultivated radish, Garden Radish, Wild Radish
Radish is a fast-growing, cool-season annual or biennial grown for its crisp, peppery swollen taproot, though the leaves and whole plant are also edible. The key to good roots is quick growth in cool weather, since roots turn bitter and tough if left in the ground too long.
The radish (Raphanus sativus or Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus) is a flowering plant in the mustard family, Brassicaceae. Its large taproot is commonly used as a root vegetable, although the entire plant is edible and its leaves are sometimes used as a leaf vegetable. Domesticated in Asia, radishes are grown and consumed globally. The radish is sometimes considered to form a species complex with the wild radish and instead treated as the subspecies Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus.
Radishes are often used raw as a crunchy salad vegetable with a pungent, slightly spicy flavor, varying in intensity depending on its growing environment. There are numerous varieties varying in size, flavor, color and length of time they take to mature. Radishes owe their sharp flavor to the various chemical compounds produced by the plants, including glucosinolate, myrosinase, and isothiocyanate.
Radishes are a fast-growing, annual, cool-season crop. The seed germinates in three to four days in moist conditions with soil temperatures between 18 and 29 °C (65 and 85 °F). Best quality roots are obtained under moderate day lengths with air temperatures in the range 10 to 18 °C (50 to 65 °F). Under average conditions, the crop matures in 3–4 weeks, but in colder weather, 6–7 weeks may be required. Homegrown varieties can be significantly sharper.
Radishes grow best in full sun in light, sandy loams, with a soil pH 6.5 to 7.0, but for late-season crops, a clayey-loam is ideal. Soils that bake dry and form a crust in dry weather are unsuitable and can impair germination. Harvesting periods can be extended by making repeat plantings, spaced a week or two apart. In warmer climates, radishes are normally planted in the autumn. The depth at which seeds are planted affects the size of the root, from 1 cm (1⁄2 in) deep recommended for small radishes to 4 cm (1+1⁄2 in) for large radishes.
Cultivated Radish · Wild radish · Daikon · Sakurajima radish
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Radish by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
