White Icicle Radish

 

source: MIgardener

The name Icicle radish is a general descriptor used for several varieties of slender, tapered white radishes, This heirloom radish is highly favored by gardeners for its easy-to-cultivate, heat tolerant, and pest resistant nature. This specific variety of radish is also celebrated for its resistance to becoming pithy.

The fast-growing, long radishes reach maturity in approximately 23 to 30 days and are. These are often grown near pumpkins and squash as the radish plants act as a natural deterrent of squash bugs.

Since they typically only takes about 4 weeks to mature, you could realistically plant a new crop every two weeks for a continuous harvest. White Icicle radishes are more tolerant of the heat of summer, but are still a cool-season crop. Once summer temperatures get quite warm, you may want to take a break and wait until towards the end of summer to plant for a fall harvest.

These radishes can often be stored – just plant two months before the first expected frost and you’ll be able to produce a super sweet batch of radishes that will hold up for several weeks in cold storage.

For no-till garden beds preparation for planting is to simply clear any plant debris leftover from the previous year. Adding the compost to your soil before planting will ensure that your radishes have all the nutrients they need to grow but you won’t run the risk of over-fertilizing. The soil should be relatively low in nitrogen to prevent radishes that have lots of full, bushy green growth up top, but very little in the way of roots down below. You can add leaf mold or powdered gypsum, which improves the texture of the soil and leaves more room so roots can develop and water to permeate.

Sow the seeds about ½ inch deep. Radishes grow best when they are spaced 2-3 inches apart. You can sow them closer, but they will have to be thinned to that spacing once they sprout. You can use the sprouts in salads.

It is important to water our plants immediately after planting. Saturate the soil to a depth of at least six inches, but be careful that the seeds are not washed out of their rows. Until the seeds sprout, it is imperative that you keep the soil evenly moist. When your water, do so first thing in the morning so that the foliage has plenty of time to dry off before nightfall to avoid fungal diseases.

-Phyllis