Radish
Raphanus sativus
Botanical family: Brassicaceae
Raphanus sativus, domesticated in China and the Near East 4000 years ago. Three main categories: round spring radishes (18 jours, National 2), long summer radishes (Glaçon, Rose de Pâques), winter/black radishes (Noir gros rond, Japanese Daikon). Staggered sowings March to September. Rich in glucosinolates.
Sun to partial shade
Light, friable
Moderate
Winter radishes are hardy: they stay in the ground and are harvested as needed through winter
Overwinters in your zone
Role in permaculture
Good companions
Fix nitrogen from the air (legumes)
Attract pollinators and beneficial insects
Traditional companion planting (benefit not demonstrated)
Poor companions
Traditional avoidance (antagonism not demonstrated)
Insects attracted or useful
Known pests & diseases
Pests and diseases that commonly affect this plant, tap to learn how to recognise and manage them.
Seasons & availability
Radishes from spring to autumn; black radishes, the keeping kind, hold all winter.
Available: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.
Guidance for the oceanic / temperate climate; it may vary with your region, altitude, exposure and growing method.
Sources
- RHS, « How to Grow Radishes » (rhs.org.uk/vegetables/radishes/grow-your-own)
- Le Biau Germe, « Radis » (biaugerme.com/semences/potageres/legumes-racine/radis)
Nutritional & medicinal properties
For educational purposes. Not a substitute for medical advice. Effects depend on the form, the dose and personal context.
Precautions & contraindications
May be irritant in some people in large quantity.
In the kitchen & the apothecary
Where to find radish in preparations: recipes and traditional herbal teas.
Family behaviour: Brassicaceae
In general, Brassicaceae produce glucosinolates, sulphur compounds with a mild biocidal effect on the soil (a biofumigant effect, sometimes sought between two sensitive crops). Members of the cabbage and mustard family, they are prone to the cabbage white and clubroot.
Understanding families means learning one rule per family rather than every pairing one by one. Learn more →
Species & varieties
The best-known species and varieties in France.
Common varieties
Voices of peoples
Paraphrases attributed to their documented sources. Never an invented quote.
Pliny the Elder, reporting a votive custom of the Greeks at Delphi · Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi, custom reported in the 1st c. AD
Pliny the Elder reports that in the temple of Apollo at Delphi, the radish was honoured with a reproduction in gold, while the beet was entitled only to silver and the turnip to lead. In this he reads the measure of the esteem the Greeks held for this modest vegetable. The attested fact is Pliny's own testimony: the real existence of these votive offerings rests on his account, with no archaeological confirmation.
Pline l'Ancien, Histoire naturelle, livre XIX, chap. 26 (traduction Loeb, Rackham).
An anecdote reported by Pliny and not verified elsewhere: it is presented here as what 'Pliny reports', and not as what 'the Greeks offered'. The same notice underlies the sayings of the beet and the turnip. No virtue of the radish is presented here as a fact.