How to grow radish like a pro?

Radishes are one of the most liked vegetables because of their crunchy texture and spicy flavour. 

Radishes are one of the easiest vegetables to grow. Although they are very easy to grow, we encounter some common problems while growing radishes. In this section, we will see about growing radishes right from the seeds and the various tips to grow radish like a gardening pro. In addition, we will also see about the companion plants that can be grown along with radish in our home garden. 

The first thing that we will see is how to start radish plants from seeds. 

* Soil for growing radishes must be loose and adding compost, dried leaves and grass will improve soil fertility. The soil must also be consistently moist for the good growth of roots. Drought or dry conditions will make the growth of radish tough due to soil crusting and will also alter the flavour. 
* The seeds must be spaced half-inch deep and one inch apart. 
* Optimal growth of radish requires full sun and light shade is toleratable at times. 
* Radish mature quickly and will be ready to harvest within 4 to 5 weeks. 

Let's see few tips for better growth of radish:

1. Practice succession planting by sowing radish seeds every 7 to 10 days, for continual harvest. 
2. When the soil becomes crusty, break it and loosen it by adding some water. 
3. Several radish varieties can be planted together for enhanced growth of radishes. 
4. A tip to know the maturity of the radish roots is to look out for the bulged tops that push themselves out of the soil as they near maturity.
5. For radishes with their best taste and flavor, harvest them immediately after they mature, because the longer they stay in the ground, the hotter they become. 

Moving onto the next segment, which is fertilizing radishes.

Before you plant the seeds, fertilize the top 2 to 4 inches of the soil with all purpose fertilizer and sow the seeds half an inch deep. 

If you would like to avoid commerical fertilizer add some compost on the top layer. 

The initial fertilizer application is enough for the growth is radishes, but if you would like to enhance the growth, you can go for an addition of nitrogen rich fertilizer in the quantity of 1/4 cup for every ten foot. If you are one who loves to consume the radish foliage also, then this fertilizing option is for you. 

Now, the most important, point is companion planting for radish.

The first factor to consider for companion planting is the time of maturity of the plants. 

Radish is a rapidly maturing plant and so, we can consider co-planting radish with other plants that take up a slower maturity time. For instance, peas, leaf lettuces, tomatoes and peppers, are plants that take more time to mature and so can be grown along with radish. 

The second factor is the co-planting of plants that can benefit from radish. 

Radishes will greatly help to repel cucumber beetles and hence planting cucumber along with radish will increase the yield of both the plants. 

The third factor is planting of plants that will help radish plants. 

Strong smelling herbs such as nasturtium and plants such as onions are excellent companions for radish plants. 

Some plants that should not be planted along with radish are broccoli and hyssop. 

Last tip is that, radishes can also be planted together with flowers and herbs, along the borders of the garden or gardening beds as the rich foliage gives an attractive look along with flowers. 

 

Grow these vegetable plants together and see what happens.

Companion gardening which is growing certain plants together will help

to improve the yield of plants. Growing certain vegetables, flowering

plants, herbs and fruits as companions will help resist pests, benefit your

garden in general, help bug control, improve yield and increase soil

health. There are a lot of benefits when it comes to companion

gardening. 

Here is the list of plants that can be grown together as companions

in your home garden. These companion gardening tips for your home

will help you maintain your garden easily. 

1. Garliccan be planted along with cauliflower, lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries,

broccoli, beans and peas. 

2. Carrots can be planted along with onions, rosemary, tomatoes, dill,

peppers, broccoli and beans.

3. Spinach can be planted along with strawberry, cauliflower and cilantro.

4. Melons can be planted along with marigold, squash, sunflower and sage.

5. Corn grows well along with cucumber, sunflower and tomatoes. 

6. Onions grow well with beets, carrots, lettuce and peppers. 

7. Potatoes can be combined with peas, beans and corn. 

8. Egg plant grows well with beans and pepper.

9. Cucumber can be planted along with corn and cabbage. 

10. Celery can be planted with beans and tomatoes.

Protip: Here are other best companions for your vegetable plants. 

1. Marigold: Marigolds when planted along with vegetables help in repelling insects.

Tomatoes and Marigolds are great companions, as Marigold helps repel

hornworms which bother tomatoes the most. 

2. Nasturtium and Rosemary are herbs which when planted with beans will help to deter beetles

that attack your bean plants. 

3. Oregano is also a wonderful companion for your vegetable garden as it deters

most insects, just like marigold. 

Companion planting, actually, is harnessing the power of nature to

enjoy a good yield and at the same time it is nature’s way of preventing

insect and pest attack on plants. 

5 Rarely known gardening tips for growing huge quantities of tomatoes

Caring for tomatoes throughout the growing season is highly essential and following these tips will help you maximise the harvest while minimizing effort and work. 

1. Nutrient dense soil - Rich in Phosphorous:

Did you know that tomatoes love nutrient dense soil, especially Phosphorous. Of the NPK fertilizers, Phosphorous is the one that promotes flower and fruit development in addition to sturdy root development. Over feeding tomato plants with Nitrogen fertilizer will promote a lot of  green foliage, but will not encourage flowers and fruits. 

2. pH of the soil matters:

If you are expecting big reaps from your tomato plants, then looking into the soil pH number and maintiang the ideal pH is essential. Maximum nutrient absorption of tomato plant is between 6.2 and 6.5. 

3. Deep and horizontal planting of tomatoes:

Tomato plants unlike other vegetable plants have roots throughout the stem and so, planting the stem deep and horizontal will enhance the growth of the plants, thus increasing yield. 

4. Loosen the roots:

For healthy tomato plants, the roots must be loosened before transplanting it. Most of the time the roots appear entangled and circled inside the container. Before transplanting the plant loosen the root ball and then plant it deep and horizontally. 

5. Always add a companion to your tomato plant:

Never plant tomatoes alone This will increase the pests. A secret tip to reduce pests is to plant them with companion plants such as dill, cilantro, fennell etc.These will provide nectar for the wasps and thus control hornworms that damage tomato plants. Similarly, lowers like alyssum provide nectar for tachnid and syphrid flies which prey on pests such as leaf rooted bugs, whiteflies etc, which harm the tomato plants.