Chinese White Radish Care

Location

• Plant your Chinese white radish seeds in a location that has full sun or only partial shade. While they will survive in partial shade, they thrive with more light. Choose a location that has moist, fertile soil with good drainage. Ideally, the pH of the soil is between 5.8 and 6.8. Avoid planting this root vegetable in a place where the fertile soil is very shallow, as the edible part of this plant grows underground. In areas where the soil is shallow, create raised beds to give the daikon enough room to grow.

Planting

• Plant Chinese white radish seeds in the late winter or early spring for an early harvest, or plant them in July so they will mature for fall. Sow the seeds shallowly in rows that are 3 feet apart and with at least 6 inches between seeds in each row. Chinese white radishes grow to be more than a foot long, so give them plenty of space.

Irrigation

• Water your Chinese white radish regularly and do not allow the soil to dry out. While this plant tolerates frost, it does not tolerate drought well. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy.

Harvest

• Chinese white radishes need around 60 to 70 days to mature completely, as they grow to be much larger than salad radishes. Do not allow them to stay in the ground longer, because when they over-mature, they tend to develop an unpleasantly pungent smell and taste.