Daikon Radish

Daikons are long-rooted Asian radish cultivars. Many need a late-summer schedule rather than the spring schedule of small salad radishes.

Sun

Full sun

Water

Consistent

Spacing

6 in

First harvest

45–75 days

Tips

• Choose a cultivar for the intended sowing season.
• Loosen soil deeply enough for long roots.
• Thin to 4–6 inches or wider for large varieties.
• Harvest before severe freezes damage exposed shoulders.
• Sow spring radishes 1/2 inch deep every 7-10 days and thin to 1-2 inches apart.
• Keep soil consistently moist to limit tough, excessively pungent roots.
• Avoid extra nitrogen fertilizer in an already fertile bed.
• Use insect mesh from emergence to discourage flea beetles and root maggot flies.
• Pull roots as soon as they reach the size listed for the variety, before they become pithy.

Most winter daikons are sown in late summer for fall harvest; use a spring-adapted cultivar for spring planting.

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