Tutorial: How to Grow Radishes in an Aerogarden
Apr 6, 2020 12:14:56 GMT -5
kay, akivalocal, and 4 more like this
Post by ERR0R1755 on Apr 6, 2020 12:14:56 GMT -5
Here's a step-by-step guide on how to grow a radish in any AeroGarden model! I've personally only done it in a Harvest, but they don't take up much space and they don't create many roots, so they should grow in anything. They're very fast, too! (normally < 30 days to harvest)
Step 1: Pick your seeds. Daikon radishes (or any "long" variety) may not grow well, but I haven't tried them. I've had good luck with Cherry Belle radishes, Crimson Giant radishes and Early Scarlet Globe radishes. You should be fine with any radish that forms a round bulb.
If you want some free Crimson Giant seeds, I'll mail you some if you're in the US (while supplies last)
Step 2: Plant your seeds! Nothing special about this step, just drop 1-3 seeds in a pod and wait. I've had luck using the official AeroGarden pods, as well as coco coir pods and even just rockwool cut to size.
Pro tip: No matter what you use for material, you want it to be loose, almost "floating", in the pod. You'll need to pull it up later.
Step 3: Thin your seedlings early! Radishes are picky and if they realize there's another radish planted right next to them, they'll stunt their growth for the entire grow cycle.
Pro tip: If you planted more than one seed, you can probably remove the extra sprouts/seeds as soon as the first one has leaves.
Step 4: Wait! At this point, you can just let the seedling grow. You want to wait until the red portion of the stem starts to swell (the beginnings of the actual radish).
Step 5: Lift! As the radish starts to grow, your goal should be to get the entire red portion to be above the hole in your pod. If you're using a custom top for your pod (such as aluminum foil poorly put into the shape of a circle), this should be easy, but if you're using one of the official AeroGarden tops, you might need to wait a bit longer before the radish can support itself.
The roots stay in the sponge! You want to just raise the sponge up slightly (keeping the sponge in the pod) so that the bulb is above the hole and has room to grow. Here is an example with turnips.
The roots shouldn't get in the way since the radish tends to make little roots in a hydroponic system, and the pod's insert should be able to freely move up and down in the pod...
Pro tip: For picture perfect radishes, always ensure a gap between the pod's material (peat/coir/rockwool/etc) and the bottom of the radish bulb. Otherwise, the radish will tend to "eat" small chunks of the material, which leads to a dirty appearance on the outside as well as small imperfections in the shape.
Warning: Don't let the radish get big enough that it gets stuck in the AeroGarden slot! If you don't lift it up, it might be impossible to get it out - and in theory, it could even damage the AeroGarden's top as it continues to grow, by applying pressure...
Step 6: Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you notice the radish stops growing, or when you're happy with the size. From what I've heard, you can harvest radishes earlier and they tend to have a sweeter taste... I prefer a bit of kick to mine, myself.
Here's a picture of my first attempt at a Crimson Giant right before harvest! You can see how the radish has some brown spots as well as a small crack, since I hadn't yet learned my pro tip from Step 5
If you have any questions about the process, or if you grow your own, post in this thread! Right now I'm trying out a Black Spanish radish and I'm looking forward to seeing how it does!
Step 1: Pick your seeds. Daikon radishes (or any "long" variety) may not grow well, but I haven't tried them. I've had good luck with Cherry Belle radishes, Crimson Giant radishes and Early Scarlet Globe radishes. You should be fine with any radish that forms a round bulb.
If you want some free Crimson Giant seeds, I'll mail you some if you're in the US (while supplies last)
Step 2: Plant your seeds! Nothing special about this step, just drop 1-3 seeds in a pod and wait. I've had luck using the official AeroGarden pods, as well as coco coir pods and even just rockwool cut to size.
Pro tip: No matter what you use for material, you want it to be loose, almost "floating", in the pod. You'll need to pull it up later.
Step 3: Thin your seedlings early! Radishes are picky and if they realize there's another radish planted right next to them, they'll stunt their growth for the entire grow cycle.
Pro tip: If you planted more than one seed, you can probably remove the extra sprouts/seeds as soon as the first one has leaves.
Step 4: Wait! At this point, you can just let the seedling grow. You want to wait until the red portion of the stem starts to swell (the beginnings of the actual radish).
Step 5: Lift! As the radish starts to grow, your goal should be to get the entire red portion to be above the hole in your pod. If you're using a custom top for your pod (such as aluminum foil poorly put into the shape of a circle), this should be easy, but if you're using one of the official AeroGarden tops, you might need to wait a bit longer before the radish can support itself.
The roots stay in the sponge! You want to just raise the sponge up slightly (keeping the sponge in the pod) so that the bulb is above the hole and has room to grow. Here is an example with turnips.
The roots shouldn't get in the way since the radish tends to make little roots in a hydroponic system, and the pod's insert should be able to freely move up and down in the pod...
Pro tip: For picture perfect radishes, always ensure a gap between the pod's material (peat/coir/rockwool/etc) and the bottom of the radish bulb. Otherwise, the radish will tend to "eat" small chunks of the material, which leads to a dirty appearance on the outside as well as small imperfections in the shape.
Warning: Don't let the radish get big enough that it gets stuck in the AeroGarden slot! If you don't lift it up, it might be impossible to get it out - and in theory, it could even damage the AeroGarden's top as it continues to grow, by applying pressure...
Step 6: Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you notice the radish stops growing, or when you're happy with the size. From what I've heard, you can harvest radishes earlier and they tend to have a sweeter taste... I prefer a bit of kick to mine, myself.
Here's a picture of my first attempt at a Crimson Giant right before harvest! You can see how the radish has some brown spots as well as a small crack, since I hadn't yet learned my pro tip from Step 5
If you have any questions about the process, or if you grow your own, post in this thread! Right now I'm trying out a Black Spanish radish and I'm looking forward to seeing how it does!
