Many people think that it’s difficult to grow vegetables in containers, but in my opinion, once you learn a few basic things and put them into practice, you’ll see the first results.
While it’s true that every plant is different and has its own needs in terms of soil, light, humidity, and pest control, with practice you become better and better with each growing season. Or at least this has been my experience.
In this article, I’ll talk about radishes and give you 8 tips from my experience to help you grow them easily in pots.
Radishes are very easy and quick to grow once you learn a few basic things and then go outside and practice.
Let’s get started!
1. Sow them in cool temperatures
Radishes need cool temperatures to grow their edible and delicious roots, 10-15°C or 50-60°F. Because once temperatures reach around 25°C (77°F) they start to bolt and even if they don’t bolt, they become hard and bitter. You can still eat their leaves and flowers though (more on this later).
So you can grow them from the beginning of the autumn to late spring. In winter they usually slow down and begin growing again in early spring.
Cool temperatures also help with pest control. I don’t use any products for pest control on my radishes, for example.
2. You can eat their leaves and flowers too
Even if radishes are mostly known for their delicious roots, their leaves and flowers are also edible and taste great, especially in green salads. If grown in cool temperatures the leaves and stems are very tender.
3. Don’t be afraid to water them
Radishes need a lot of water especially when the weather starts to warm up. So, don’t be afraid to water them, they usually don’t suffer from root rot.
4. Use a light and draining soil
These plants need a soft and light soil to develop their roots quickly. The soil also needs to drain quite well, even if they don’t suffer root rot.
5. Add a little compost
They don’t need a lot of fertilization. Just cover the soil with a little compost mostly at the base of their roots and they’ll be happy.
6. You can grow them in partial shade
You can grow them from partial shade to more sunny places. This is the characteristic I like most because I can grow them in one of my balconies that gets only 2-3 hours of direct sun a day, and they are very happy!
7. Sow them in succession and be prepared to harvest them 🙂
…because radishes can grow from sowing to harvest in just 2 months. This is another great characteristic of this plant because you can sow them for example, every 3 weeks to a month, and have fresh radishes all spring.
8. You plant them very close to each other
In pots and containers, you can sow them very close to each other, as close as about 10cm (3.9 inches). Especially if you grow them primarily for their leaves.
– – – –
And that’s all! Did I miss something? Let me know in the comments. I hope this article will inspire you to get a pot of soil and a pack of seeds and start sowing some radishes today.