When to plant radishes?

Autumn radishes are grown primarily to meet winter consumption needs and can be stored until spring. However, if the sowing time is too early, the radish may become hollow and rot easily, which will reduce its quality and edible value. Let’s take a look at when to plant radishes.

What we usually plant is autumn radish. There is a folk proverb that says: "Radishes in the first dog days, vegetables in the second dog days." This means that around the third day after the summer solstice, which is the first dog days, is the best time to sow radishes, such as white radishes, green radishes, and Northeast female red radishes. They can be harvested in early winter.

However, there are many varieties of radish, and different varieties are suitable for sowing in different seasons:

1. Spring Radish

Sow in early spring and harvest in early summer, with a growing period of about 25 to 60 days. It is widely cultivated in the area north of the Yangtze River in China. In the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, such as Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan and other places, sowing is from February to March and harvesting is from April to early June. In the Huanghuaihai region, sowing occurs from March to April and harvesting occurs from early May to June. In high-latitude and high-altitude areas such as the Northeast, Northwest and northern North China, sowing is from April to May and harvesting is from June to July.

2. Summer radish

Sowing is done from May to June and harvesting is done from July to August. If sowing is too early, early bolting may occur, and it is mainly used as a supplement to autumn vegetables .

3. Autumn Radish

In the warm areas of North China and Northwest China, sowing is done in late July to early August and harvesting is done in late October to early November. In the colder areas of Northeast and Northwest China, sowing is in early to mid-July and harvesting is in early to mid-October. In the northern high-altitude areas, the sowing time needs to be advanced to mid-June, and the harvest should be in late September to early October.

4. Winter radish

The sowing period is generally chosen in early to mid-September. If sowing is too late, the yield may be reduced due to insufficient leaf growth due to cooler temperatures.

In addition, as a counter-seasonal radish, depending on the variety, it is generally planted from April to May in areas with an altitude of 800 to 1200 meters and harvested from June to July. In high altitude areas, sowing is from May to July and harvesting is from July to September. Alpine radish cultivation utilizes varieties with strong winter resistance, which allows for two seasons of planting, from June to October. It is worth noting that the sowing of off-season radishes should be carried out when the temperature reaches above 10℃.