How to Plant a Perfect Radish Without Using Pesticide

Several insects feed on radishes (Raphanus sativus) during the growing season, namely flea beetles, cabbage maggots and aphids, but a host of other less-visible pests lurk beneath the soil and affect growth as early as planting. Various pathogens, fungi, bacteria and nematodes make up the majority of soil borne pests, and inhibit root growth weeks after the seeds germinate and start to root. Most systemic pesticides used as soil drenches also affect beneficial organisms, so a chemical-free method that balances control and effectiveness works best for a healthy garden. Because you can plant radishes practically year-round, you can solarize your soil for the minimum two months needed to sterilize it and still enjoy several harvests before the winter freeze.

Spade fork
Garden rake
Dowel
Clear 2-mil plastic sheeting
Landscape-fabric anchor pins
Garden trowel
All purpose bleach
Matured compost
Soluble, slow-release, 10-10-10 NPK or 16-16-8 NPK starter fertilizer
1-foot-wide wire hoops (optional)
Spun-bonded, polyolefin or polypropylene row covers

Instructions

- 1
  Cultivate a 30-inch-by-30-inch area of soil open to full sunlight to a depth of 1 foot, using a spade fork, as soon as the outside temperature reaches 70 degrees Fahrenheit regularly. You can grow about 30 radish plants in a 30-inch-long bed when you plant the seeds 3 inches apart in rows 1 foot apart.
- 2
  Even out the surface of the cultivated area using a garden rake, and water the soil 12 inches deep. Measure the depth of the moisture by inserting a dowel or other long stick in the ground and removing it.
- 3
  Cover the watered, cultivated area with a piece of clear 2-mil plastic sheeting. Insert landscape-fabric anchor pins through the sheeting and into the ground every 6 inches along the edges to secure the sheeting. You can also bury the sheeting edges to secure it. Leave the sheeting on the ground for two months.
- 4
  Remove the plastic sheeting after two months. Soak a clean spade fork and clean garden trowel in a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water for 30 minutes and rinse them with running water.
- 5
  Work the soil to a depth of 8 to 12 inches, using the spade fork. Spread 4 inches of matured compost over the soil by hand and work it in to a depth of 6 inches, using the fork.
- 6
  Sprinkle 4 cups of soluble, slow-release, 10-10-10 or 16-16-8 NPK starter fertilizer for every 100 square feet of soil. For example, if your radish bed measures 30 by 30 inches, or 75 square feet, sprinkle 3 cups of starter fertilizer over the soil.
- 7
  Work the fertilizer into the top 6 inches of soil, using the fork. Water the soil to a depth of 8 to 12 inches. Allow the soil to settle and adjust to the amendments for at least one month.
- 8
  Dig 2-inch-wide, 1-inch-deep holes spaced 3 inches apart in rows spaced 1 foot apart in autumn when the average daily temperature doesn’t exceed 75 degrees F. Use a garden trowel for the job.
- 9
  Place three to five radish seeds in each hole and backfill them with excavated soil. Firm the soil over the seeds by hand to ensure good seed-to-soil contact. Water the soil with 1 to 2 inches of water.
- 10
  Insert 1-foot-wide wire hoops in rows at 3-foot intervals over the planted seeds. Cover the hoops with spun-bonded, polyolefin row covers, and mound the soil over the edges to hold it in place. Radishes are prone to flea beetle infestations, leaf hoppers and cabbage maggots, and row covers prevent pests from getting to the plants.

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