Radish
Raphanus sativus
About it
- Kind
- Vegetables · Annual
- Family
- Brassicaceae
- Hardiness zones
- Zones 2–11
- Frost
- Hardy — takes a hard frost
- Sun
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 2 in apart, rows 6 in
- Soil depth in a pot
- At least 6 in
- Soil pH
- 6–7
- Water
- About every 7 days
When to plant
- Sow outdoors
- Sow 4 weeks before the last frost
- Window
- Open for about 3 weeks
- Soil temperature
- Germinates from 40°F
- Ready
- About 25 days from sowing
- Sow again
- Every 7–14 days for a steady supply
Based on your last frost date. Outside the US, check local advice.
Varieties people grow
- Cherry Belle— round cherry-red radish with crisp white flesh
- French Breakfast— oblong red root with a white tip; mild
- Red Meat— watermelon radish: green skin, deep pink inside
- White Icicle— long tapered white root; mild and crisp
Planting partners
What has been claimed about growing Radish near other plants, grouped by how well it has been tested. Most companion planting advice has never been tested; the notes say which is which.
Tested in field trials
- With Chinese Cabbage Napa cabbage grown as a trap crop beside other brassicas draws flea beetles away from them; in trials only a mix of three trap-crop species improved the protected broccoli's yield. UMN Extension ↗Europe PMC ↗
- With Mustard Greens Mustard grown as a trap crop beside other brassicas draws flea beetles away from them; in trials only a mix of three trap-crop species improved the protected broccoli's yield. UMN Extension ↗Europe PMC ↗
Mixed evidence
- With Green Onion Green onions are often planted to keep flea beetles off brassicas, but little research supports it and some contradicts it. UMN Extension ↗
- With Marigold Marigolds are often planted to keep flea beetles off brassicas, but little research supports it and some contradicts it. UMN Extension ↗
Safety for pets and children
- Cats No information in our sources
- Dogs No information in our sources
- Horses No information in our sources
- Children No information in our sources
"No information" means our sources do not say, not that the plant is harmless. A non-toxic listing is not a reason to let anyone eat a plant.
Pests and diseases
Clubroot Disease
Plasmodiophora brassicae
What you'll see. Plants are stunted, and the roots become swollen and distorted.
What helps. Grow from seed or inspect transplant roots before planting, use only compost that has heated fully, and clean soil off tools. Where clubroot has appeared, grow no cabbage-family crops there for five to seven years and keep weeds out meanwhile.
Source: UMN Extension ↗,UMN Extension (2) ↗
Flea beetles Insect
What you'll see. Small round holes are chewed in the leaves, worst on young radishes in early spring.
What helps. Cover rows with row cover while the seedlings are young, and clear weeds and old crop debris where the beetles spend the winter.
Source: UMN Extension ↗,UMN Extension (2) ↗
Check the label and your local extension service before using any product.
Where this comes from
- direct sow weeks rel last frost cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ UNH (New Hampshire) table: radish direct seed 2-4 weeks before last frost; CSU #720 (Colorado) hardy class gives the same 2-4 weeks. Agree
- direct sow weeks rel last frost extension.unh.edu ↗ UNH (New Hampshire) table: radish direct seed 2-4 weeks before last frost; CSU #720 (Colorado) hardy class gives the same 2-4 weeks. Agree
- family npgsweb.ars-grin.gov ↗ GRIN page: Raphanus sativus L.
- frost hardiness cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ CSU #720 (Colorado) hardy class lists radish
- maturity counted from cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ Direct-seeded crop. Row's 25 days is NC State (North Carolina) Table 16-4's 20-25 (from seed); CSU #720 (Colorado) 30 unmarked
- maturity counted from NC State Extension ↗ Direct-seeded crop. Row's 25 days is NC State (North Carolina) Table 16-4's 20-25 (from seed); CSU #720 (Colorado) 30 unmarked
- min soil temp f cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ CSU #720 (Colorado) Table 1: radishes germination minimum 40°F
- Most facts UMN Extension ↗ Backfilled by 0041. Pre-0041 rows recorded one source for the whole row; per-field attribution was never captured and is not invented here.
- sow window weeks cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ 2-4 weeks before last frost (UNH New Hampshire, CSU Colorado): weeks -4 to -2
- sow window weeks extension.unh.edu ↗ 2-4 weeks before last frost (UNH New Hampshire, CSU Colorado): weeks -4 to -2
- succession interval days max WVU Extension ↗ WVU (West Virginia): seven to 14 days apart
- succession interval days min WVU Extension ↗ WVU (West Virginia): stagger plantings seven to 14 days apart; names radishes
- water frequency days UMN Extension ↗ UMN "Growing radishes": "If the planting does not get one inch of rain each week, soak the soil thoroughly at least once a week." and "If your soil is sandy, it is important to water more often than once a week."