Growing radishes for microgreens and root vegetables on the windowsill

Do you want to enjoy juicy radishes or vitamin-rich greens grown right in your home all year round? Then you should familiarize yourself with the technology of growing cruciferous vegetables on the windowsill of a living room, balcony or loggia. And believe me, there is nothing complicated about it. And radishes are among the most undemanding plants to care for.

As my many years of experience show, each gardener must go through all the stages of growing a certain crop independently, deciding on the optimal varieties or hybrids of vegetables, planting containers, lighting conditions and temperature conditions, and at each time of the year separately.

Soil mixture for mini garden

Radishes prefer fertile and well-structured soils with neutral acidity levels. The easiest way for a mini garden is to buy ready-made soil mixtures in gardening stores. In addition to peat and turf soil, special materials are added to them that increase moisture capacity: sphagnum moss, vermiculite, agroperlite, etc.

For example, “Universal soil for indoor flowers” or “Peat-based soil mixture for seedlings” has an acidity of 5.5 to 6.0 pH. Such soils contain all the organic and mineral substances necessary for the plant, including the full NPK complex and microelements. At the same time, the soil is disinfected from harmful microflora and parasite larvae.

Planting containers for radishes for microgreens and root vegetables

The optimal depth of a pot or box for growing root vegetables is at least 15 cm. But for greens (radishes for microgreens), any container with a depth of more than 4 cm is suitable.

Radishes are successfully cultivated in flower boxes, pots, vases and cache-pots, in old dishes, in plastic food containers, and in dairy cups.

If there are no drainage holes at the bottom of a flowerpot or box, it is advisable to arrange a centimeter layer of expanded clay or broken brick chips. Drainage prevents the accumulation of excess water, which leads to rotting of plant roots.

Radishes for microgreens

Not everyone knows that cruciferous crops, which include radishes, are specially sprouted for greens. And since the crop is harvested in the cotyledon leaf phase, there is no special need to provide additional light to the plants in winter.

Radish microgreens ripen in 12-14 days from the moment they are sown in the ground. To obtain vitamin seedlings in the cotyledon phase, seeds are sown densely. Microgreens can be used for food after the seedlings are thoroughly washed under running water.

Radishes for root vegetables on the windowsill: planting scheme, variety selection, lighting

But when growing radishes on a windowsill, to obtain full-fledged fruits, sowing is carried out sparsely. The optimal distance between plants is 3-4 cm. This planting step is observed in any planting container, be it a flower box, flowerpot or plastic container.

Only if there is sufficient space, seedlings are provided with adequate nutrition and do not compete for light and water. If you accidentally planted radishes too densely, it is better to thin them 6-7 days after the sprouts appear.

Moreover, the weaker sprouts that are pulled out, which have a delicate texture and a subtle pleasant taste, can be thoroughly washed and added to the salad as healthy greens (the same microgreens).

I grow Saxony radishes on a glazed but not insulated balcony from March until December. The rest of the year I sow radishes on the kitchen windowsill in a mini garden. In winter, I always illuminate all the vegetables, seedlings and leafy greens on the windowsill with the help of biolamps. The optimal daylight hours for radishes are 8-10 hours.

This variety is an early ripening variety (the period from the moment of planting seeds to the ripening of root crops ranges from 22 to 25 days).The fruits of "Saxonia" have a round shape, a rich red color and tender, juicy, crispy and snow-white flesh. The height of radish tops reaches a maximum of 10 cm.