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Learn how to grow daikon radish in the home garden. This crop is very easy to grow! It’s delicious and can be used in many different ways, and it stores for a long time! Growing daikon radish is a must for every homesteader.

I love growing root crops. I don’t know what is it about them, but the act of pulling something colorful right out of the soil just does something to my nervous system.

Common radishes are cute and colorful but… They are small and hard to handle in the kitchen and, to be honest, sometimes just too sharp and not very tasty. That’s what I thought for many years… Until I found daikon radishes!

How to Grow Daikon Radish…

This is truly the ultimate crop for the homesteader! I first saw Jill from Whispering Willow Farm grow them and thought that they might be a great replacement for the tiny radishes that I didn’t love growing. Oh, I am so glad that I came by them!

What is Daikon Radish…

Daikon radish is a large, long, white radish (the Johnny’s site lists a couple of other colorful varieties under the Daikon/Korean radish section and since we grow all of them the same way I’m just going to call them all Daikon. Hopefully no one gets mad…). Some say that this radish originated in the Mediterranean, some say it originated in China… It doesn’t matter I think. It has a sweet flavor and is used heavily in the Asian kitchen in stir-fry, kimchi, and many other dishes.

Benefits of Growing Daikon Radish…

They are large radishes! Easy to handle.
They are often planted as cover crops to benefit the soil by opening it up and loosening it since they are so strong and can get large.
They are a great feeder crop! If you grow them on a large scale and can’t store them all for food storage, feed them to the chickens, ducks, pigs, donkeys, or other animals.
They can grow in very poor soil.
They are cold hardy. If you have mild winters, you might be able to grow them all winter long. If your winters are colder, plant them in the fall, cover the bed with frost fabric and they’ll be just fine. You can keep harvesting all winter long.
They grow fast and can be picked in a few different stages.
They taste great! They aren’t sharp at all and can be used in many ways (some ideas below).
They are colorful and beautiful! I like mixing a few different colored varieties in one bed.

Daikon Radish in My Garden…

How to Grow Daikon Radish

How to grow daikon radish in the home garden.

Materials

Daikon radish seeds (favorite varieties below)

Tools

Rake - to rake and smooth the soil in the bed before planting.
Hoe - to make the planting furrow.

Instructions

Weather: this crop is a cool weather crop. Plant in early spring or for fall harvest (some varieties might be suitable for summer growing so make sure to check before ordering seeds).
Soil requirements: plant in well-drained soil with a pH of 5.8 to 6.8. I must note here, though, that daikon radishes are not spoiled at all, and can be planted in poor soil. In fact, many farmers use them as cover crops to open up hard ground.
Direct sow: in the garden or in containers. 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch deep.
Planting space: plant seeds, 1 inch apart in rows 12 inches to 18 inches apart.
Final growing space: thin to one plant every 4 inches to 6 inches in the row.
Days to maturity: 55.
Harvesting: hold tops, and pull gently. Cut tops 2 inches above crowns.
Storage: wash, bag, and refrigerate (32°F, 95% relative humidity) for 6-10 weeks.

Notes

Lady Lee's favorite daikon radish varieties:

KN - Bravo (light purple)
Alpine (white)
Red King 2 (red)
Note - I buy the seeds from Johnny's Selected Seeds in separate packets but mix the seeds before planting. There is no need to do this, I just like the way that the mix of colors looks like in the garden.

Growing Notes…

Feeder crop – this crop is easy to grow as feeder crop! If you have animals and you want to grow food for them, you can easily plant a field of Daikon radish in an unused corner of the homestead even if the soil there is awful!
Grow for winter – just like carrots, you can plant Daikon radish in the fall, let it mature, and then when winter comes, cover the row with frost fabric or greenhouse plastic to protect the greens. The cold ground will function as a refrigerator and you can leave your radish outside and keep harvesting it all winter long.
Colorful varieties – Daikon radish is really the large, white radish. However, there is some development for colorful varieties. They are all grown the same way and are all delicious.
Pests – I haven’t noticed many pests bothering this crop. If you notice any pests, simply spray organic fertilizer like Monterey or Neem oil in the early morning or late evening hours on a two week interval.
Water – like most other crops, radishes need about an inch of water a week.

How to Use…

Daikon radish can be eaten raw, pickled, boiled, stir-fried, steamed, or braised.
Shave it and add it to this amazing Israeli red cabbage salad.
Boil to soften and add to this beet salad.
Boil to soften and add to these delicious savory sweet potato pies.
Stir-fried Daikon and Carrots
Boiled Daikon Radish side dish

How to Preserve…

Try this simple lacto-fermented radish recipe!
Learn how to dry radishes here.
Daikon radishes can stay in cold storage for many weeks. Simply bag them and place in the fridge or root cellar.
Try this preserved daikon radish recipe.

I completely fell in love with growing daikon radish for so many reasons! They are so simple to grow and yield so much food for so little effort. What else can a homesteader ask for?? I sure hope that you’ll give them a try!

How to Grow Daikon Radish