Radish is a popular vegetable among Filipinos because of its unique flavor. It’s usually used as an ingredient in stews or as a salad. Radishes are also rich in vitamins E, A, C, B6, and K.
The vegetable thrives well in silty loam soil with organic matter and has a pH of 6 to 6.8. Farmers and gardeners usually plant radishes in areas with high elevation and low humidity. The most common variety used in the Philippines is the 60-day kind because of its good quality.
When preparing to plant radish, till the soil and make a planting area that’s high and one meter wide, depending on the location, before adding one kilogram of dried chicken manure and 300 grams of carbonized rice hull per square meter. Make mounds that are one foot apart and ensure good water drainage.
Water the soil to stabilize it before planting the seeds in the mounds, with each seed three inches apart, and cover lightly with earth. Regular watering is necessary. Add manure tea or fermented plant juice once weekly to produce healthy plants and raise their resistance against pests and diseases. It’s also advisable to add ¼ cup of urea per square meter for added nitrogen.
Some common radish pests are dapulak, diamondback moth, and armyworm. Keep them at bay by spraying a mixture of 100 grams of chilies in 16 liters of water mixed with one tablespoon of soap. In the meantime, its primary disease is decay due to fungus. Avoid it by keeping the drainage functional and having a planting level.
The radishes can be harvested after 40 to 60 days. Remove the soil from the harvested radishes and it can be stored for up to two weeks.
This information is from the Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI)