How to Grow Radishes

Before you sow your radish seeds, it’s important to take the time to prepare your soil. Radishes thrive in the sun. They require a soil that is both weeded and well-forked.

Now that your soil is good to go, it’s time to sow your radish seeds. If you’re wondering when to plant radish seeds in the UK, their speedy growth rate means that you can sow your radish seeds any time between February and August!

When to sow radish seeds

Radish seeds have a fantastic turnaround, taking around four weeks to grow after germination and be fully ready for harvesting. With that in mind, we recommend growing your radish seeds in intervals over the course of summer. So, as your seedlings become fully grown radishes, you can replace your harvested produce with brand-new seeds - promising an endless supply of veggies all summer long!

Sow your seeds individually, spacing them around 1cm and about 2.5cm apart. We also recommend sowing your radish seeds in rows so that you can keep organised as you harvest and sow more seeds!

As we said, radishes are extremely easy seeds to grow, so they don’t require too much TLC from you! Keep your radishes watered well and out of overly hot areas of the garden. Your soil should remain moist to prevent your vegetable plants from completely drying out.

Making sure they’re well spaced out whilst sowing is also a really important step for guaranteeing the health of your radish plants. Don’t forget to keep on top of weeds, too! Preventing the need for your plants to fight for water, light and air will only boost their wellbeing and stop them from bolting.

When it comes to when to harvest radishes, they should be ready around four weeks after germination! You may find, however, that it can take around 6-8 weeks for early sowings to be fully developed for harvest - so just be sure to keep an eye on your radishes! When they’re left in the soil for too long, it can affect their health and taste.

Radishes are at their best when they’re young. So, if you’re really looking to enjoy their flavour and take your home-grown salads to the next level, harvest them when they’re around 1 inch in diameter. You should gently scrape away the soil above your radishes before removing them from the ground, both slowly and carefully.

Pests and Diseases

As with all seeds and plants, there are a number of issues that can get in the way of a healthy harvest. There are a range of ways, however, that you can promote healthy growing and protect your radishes from pests and diseases.

As we mentioned earlier, keeping your soil moist and preventing your plants from drying up in overly hot conditions is integral to their growth. If these needs aren’t met, your radish roots may struggle to swell, and your plants will be far more likely to bolt.

We can’t blame pests for wanting a piece of your tasty radishes, but it’s important to keep them well away. You can deter pests like slugs, flea beetles, and cabbage root fly larvae by using fleecing and nets, as well as insecticides.

What are you waiting for? Your growing journey starts right here at Mr Fothergill’s! Shop our radish seeds today and let us help get your radish garden growing. We’ve got plenty of handy products and pieces of garden equipment to support you!

If you have any further questions about how to plant radish seeds or when to harvest radishes, don’t hesitate to contact us or take a deeper dive into our gardening blog!