Growing "autumn" Radish

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Radish is a short day vegetable. Only when the night is longer than the day can you get the harvest, not the seeds. That is why radishes are grown mainly in spring. But it grows no worse at the end of summer, and even in autumn! By the way, it is even more convenient to grow this root crop in the fall. Why?

Convenience of growing radishes in the fall

There are several very significant advantages to growing this plant during this time. Firstly, there are fewer pests, and the main enemy of any cruciferous - the cruciferous flea - is practically inactive at this time. Yes, it can sometimes appear, but not in such quantities. Like in the fall. This means that you do not have to spend money and effort to fight this pest. Secondly, the radish perfectly tolerates small frosts, they do not affect its growth. So, do not worry if you are a little late with planting a root crop or cannot remove it before frost for some reason. Thirdly, due to the constant reduction in the length of daylight hours, radishes will definitely not "go" into the arrows, but will increase the root mass.

Cooking the garden

The best precursors for radish are tomatoes, cucumbers, legumes, and garlic. What has already been removed will be the predecessor. But after any cruciferous, radishes should not be planted, these include: daikon, radish, watercress, and so on. And choose a place for the radish away from horseradish, it also belongs to the cruciferous.

Dig the bed well or loosen it with a walk-behind tractor. Apply complex fertilizers, the amount - according to the instructions on the package. You can add humus, peat, some ash and compost before digging or loosening.

Be careful! The depth of the dug and loosened layer should be at least 25 centimeters, and if you plan to grow not round, but elongated radishes, then be sure to increase the depth of loosening.

Landing

The optimal weather for planting seeds is cloudy and humid. It is best to plant on the eve of rain or during drizzling rain. At a distance of 10-15 centimeters from each other, we make grooves with a depth of 2-3 centimeters, it is not worth deepening the seeds more. The distance between adjacent seeds is about 4-5 centimeters or 1 gram per square meter. A little clarification: usually there are 360-370 seeds in a 3-gram pack. Before planting, it is advisable to soak the seeds in water (and if you still have potassium permanganate reserves, then in its weak solution) for several hours.

After the bed and seeds are ready, we proceed to planting. We water the previously made grooves, lay out the seeds, cover them with a layer of earth from one and a half to three centimeters.

Seedling care

Caring for autumn radishes is not difficult at all, but it takes a little time. Perhaps the most important thing is to prevent the appearance of a crust on the soil, either before the emergence of shoots or after. To do this, loosen the soil in the aisles at least once every five to seven days.

In dry weather, be sure to water the garden bed. Regularity of watering - once every two to three days, at least. And in very dry weather, you can water it daily. In order to prevent an earthen crust from appearing and moisture evaporates more slowly, you can mulch the bed with chopped straw.

For the entire period, carry out at least one top dressing of your future crop. Fertilizers can be any: slurry, herbal infusion, mineral or complex fertilizers purchased in specialized stores. The latter must be used strictly according to the instructions!

Pest control

During this period, crops can occasionally be attacked by a cruciferous flea. I don't want to poison the garden with chemistry, so we take the mustard assistant and carefully sprinkle the aisles. You do not need to pour a lot, the consumption will be about 1 teaspoon per square meter. Then the bed can be covered with a nonwoven fabric overnight to enhance the effect of the flea medicine. By the way, instead of mustard, you can take any bitter ground pepper.