Annual Root Vegetable · 50 varieties

Radish

Name: Radish growing data
Creator: GardenTrack

Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus

Brassicaceae — the same plant family as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale and 12 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.

Radish (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus) is an annual root vegetable. It wants full sun and pH 6–7 soil, with about 1 in of water weekly. It matures in about 21–45 days from sowing. Watch for flea beetles and alternaria. Below: its full sourced profile from 9 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Sun Full sun

Water Moderate

Matures 21–45 days — from seed from seed

Mature size 0.5–3 ft

Spacing 1–3 in

Soil pH 6–7

Frost Hardy

When to plant radishtypical · zone 6b

Your zone

…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Germinating

Seedlings

Roots sizing up

Harvest

Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. This calendar assumes the crop is direct sown. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.

Growing radishevery fact says where it came from

What we will not put a number on

We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.

We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.

Site & soil

Sun: Full sun
Soil pH: 6–7
Soil texture: Sandy, Sandy loam, Well drained
Frost tolerance: Hardy

No published figure for the temperature frost starts to hurt it, the temperature that would kill it, a heat limit and a warm-night limit. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.

The plant

Mature height: 0.5–3 ft
Mature spread: 1–2 ft
Growth rate: Fastest
Spacing in row: 1–3 in
Between rows: 10–12 in
Planting depth: 0.25–0.5 in
Container size: 1 pint
Support: Self-supportingest
Grown from: Direct sow

Water & feeding

Water needs: Moderate
Water per week: 1 in/wk
Critical water: Root sizingest
Feeding: Low

Timing & fruiting

Days to maturity: 21–45 days from seed
Harvest cues: Root shoulder visible

Planted again for autumn

South Carolina — Piedmont: Aug 1 – Sep 15
South Carolina — Coastal Plain: Aug 1 – Sep 30

Published by the extension service for its own regions, and quoted here for those regions only — converting them would mean assuming a frost date somewhere else. The chart says when, not whether to sow seed or set out plants, so we do not either. Only South Carolina so far.

Sow by: late Sep typical · zone 6b

21 days to maturity from sowing, counted back from the first frost above. Not published for anywhere in particular: it is your own frost date and this crop's own figure, which is why it works wherever you are. A days-to-maturity figure is a catalog number for a good season rather than a promise, and a cold month moves it.

Edible parts per source: root, leaf.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first

PestsFlea beetlesAphidsCabbage maggotCabbage looperDiamondback mothCutwormsWireworms

DiseasesAlternariaBlack rotClubroot

Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.

Companionswhat to plant near radish

✓

CarrotsPractical

Radishes sprout in days, mark your carrot row, and are gone before carrots need the space.

Companion pairings from university extensions; badge = how strong the evidence is.

⚠ Reported toxicityverbatim from cited sources

Different parts differ — the edible part is the root and leaf; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.

PeopleMild skin irritation

Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).

Featured varieties37 with their own page

Alpine Daikon Daikon · 55d April Cross Daikon Daikon · 63d Black Spanish Round Black Spanish · 60–70d Bora King Daikon · 60d Champion Round Red · 28d Cherriette Round Red · 23d Cherry Belle Round Red · 21d China Rose Winter · 55d Crimson Giant Round Red · 29–40d Crunchy King Round Red · 23d Crunchy Royale Round Red · 25d D'Avignon French Breakfast · 21d Donato Round Red · 21d Early Scarlet Globe Round Red · 20–28d Easter Egg Easter Egg · 30d Flamboyant French Breakfast · 25–30d French Breakfast French Breakfast · 21d German Giant Round Red · 37d Green Meat Daikon · 55d Groundhog Daikon Daikon · 60d KN-Bravo Daikon Daikon · 49d Mantanghong Watermelon Watermelon · 65d Minowase Daikon Daikon · 55d Miyashige Daikon Daikon · 50d Nero Tondo Black Spanish · 50d Pepito Round Red · 21d Purple Heart Watermelon · 48d Red King 2 Daikon Daikon · 53d Rover Round Red · 21d Roxanne Round Red · 25d Rudolf Round Red · 22d Sakurajima Mammoth Daikon · 80–90d Sora Round Red · 22d Starburst Watermelon · 60d Summer Cross No. 3 Daikon Daikon · 55d Watermelon Watermelon · 60–65d White Icicle Icicle · 27–30d

Open one and add it to your garden — it lights up here. The rest of the 50 are in the full list below.

All 50 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked

Variety	Type	Days	Color	Disease	What it is known for
Alpine Daikon F1	Daikon	55	White
Amethyst Heirloom		30–39	Purple
April Cross Daikon F1	Daikon	63	White		Vermont Bean Seed Company describes this asslow to run to seed in heat
Bacchus F1		24	Purple
Black Spanish Round Heirloom	Black Spanish	60–70	Black		Botanical Interests describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Bora King F1	Daikon	60	Purple		True Leaf Market describes this asslow to run to seed in heat
Champion Heirloom	Round Red	28	Red
Cherriette F1	Round Red	23	Red		Holmes Seed Company describes this astakes the heat
Cherry Belle Heirloom	Round Red	21	Red
China Rose Heirloom	Winter	55	Pink
Cincinnati Market Heirloom		30	Red
Crimson Giant Heirloom	Round Red	29–40	Red
Crunchy King F1	Round Red	23	Red
Crunchy Royale F1	Round Red	25	Red
D'Avignon	French Breakfast	21	Bicolor
Donato F1	Round Red	21	Red	DOWNY_MILDEW
Early Scarlet Globe Heirloom	Round Red	20–28	Red
Easter Egg	Easter Egg	30	Red, White, Pink, Purple, Bicolor
Flamboyant Heirloom	French Breakfast	25–30	Bicolor
French Breakfast Heirloom	French Breakfast	21	Bicolor
German Giant Heirloom	Round Red	37	Red
Golden Helios Heirloom		26	Yellow
Green Meat	Daikon	55	Green		Fedco Seeds describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Groundhog Daikon	Daikon	60	White
KN-Bravo Daikon F1	Daikon	49	Purple
Lady Slipper Heirloom		30	Pink
Mantanghong Watermelon F1	Watermelon	65	Green, Pink		Botanical Interests describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Minowase Daikon Heirloom	Daikon	55	White		Pinetree Garden Seeds describes this astakes the heat
Miyashige Daikon Heirloom	Daikon	50	White		Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Nero Tondo	Black Spanish	50	Black
Pepito F1	Round Red	21	Red		Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this astakes the heat
Pink Beauty		26	Pink
Purpella F1		25	Purple		Harris Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat
Purple Heart F1	Watermelon	48	Purple, Pink		Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat
Purple Plum Heirloom		25	Purple
Red King 2 Daikon F1	Daikon	53	Red
Red Rat's Tail Heirloom		50	Red, Green
Rover F1	Round Red	21	Red		Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this astakes the heat
Roxanne F1	Round Red	25	Red
Rudolf	Round Red	22	Red
Sakurajima Mammoth Heirloom	Daikon	80–90	White
Shunkyo Semi-Long Heirloom		32	Pink		Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat
Sora	Round Red	22	Red		Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this astakes the heat
Sparkler Heirloom		25	Bicolor
Starburst F1	Watermelon	60	White, Red
Summer Cross No. 3 Daikon F1	Daikon	55	White		Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this astakes the heat
Watermelon Heirloom	Watermelon	60–65	Green, Pink
White Beauty Heirloom		30	White
White Icicle Heirloom	Icicle	27–30	White		John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds describes this astakes the heat
Zlata Heirloom		30	Yellow

Sources9 cited · 7 organizations

Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
NC State Extension
University of Florida IFAS Extension
University of Maryland Extension
University of Minnesota Extension
Utah State University Extension
West Virginia University Extension

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 16 of the 19 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.

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