When is it better to plant radishes before winter and is it possible to grow a good harvest

Radish is the first vegetable that appears on our tables in the spring. Thanks to its useful composition and fast ripening, the culture has gained universal popularity and grows in almost every vegetable garden.

How to grow the earliest radish? Is it possible to plant radishes before winter and when to do it? What are the conditions for growing winter radishes? You will receive detailed answers to all these questions in the article.

Is it possible to plant radishes before winter

The only drawback of planting radishes before winter is the risk of seed death if the grower chose the wrong time for sowing. However, this rarely happens, so let's pay attention to the advantages of the method:

1. In contrast to spring sowing, podwinter crops yield a few weeks earlier. If the crops are covered with polyethylene in spring, the ripening period will be reduced by a few more days.
2. Seeds sown in autumn are much stronger and stronger than spring seedlings, as they harden in the ground and become resistant to many aggressive factors. Weak seeds die, while strong ones develop faster.
3. Sowing in the winter provides the seeds with the necessary moisture after the snow melts. Also, the seeds undergo a process of natural stratification. Spring crops can suffer from a lack of moisture due to the soil overdried by the active sun.
4. During winter sowing, radish acquires resistance to diseases and pests, is not afraid of frost.

Having tried this radish cultivation once, the grower will return to this method again, since this method has a lot of advantages.

When to plant winter radish

Planting time depends on the weather: seeds are sown with the onset of persistent cold weather. Warming after planting can destroy all crops, as seeds will sprout and freeze from recurrent frosts.

Planting is carried out in stable weather with a temperature of 0 ... -1 ° C, when the topsoil freezes.

What varieties of radish are better to plant before winter

The ideal radish variety for winter sowing has the following characteristics:

• not afraid of lack of light;
• frost-resistant;
• not prone to shooting.

Experienced gardeners prefer varieties such as Heat, Zarya, Rose-red.

Heat and Dawn ripen early. Root crops are harvested within 15-25 days after germination. In addition, Zarya is distinguished by its high yield and resistance to light deficiency. The fruits are pleasant to the taste, slightly spicy.

Pink-red radish ripens at a medium rate: vegetables begin to be harvested after about 25-30 days after germination... This grade has a balanced taste, for which it is very popular.

Planting radishes in the fall, before winter is a risky business, but if you follow all the rules, then in early spring you can delight yourself with fresh vegetables.

How to properly plant radishes before winter

The garden bed set aside for crops is slightly loosened before the onset of frost - puffed up. The site is chosen at a low elevation so that the seeds do not flood during the melting of the snow.

Soil preparation

Autumn radish grows well in the garden where cucumbers, tomatoes, garlic, potatoes, peas and beans were previously cultivated. Unwanted Precursors: Cabbage, daikon, radish, horseradish, and watercress are all cruciferous because they accumulate common diseases and enemies that are transmitted through soil.

The soil is prepared immediately after harvesting the old crop.Dig up the soil, at the same time removing weeds and plant debris. Digging for 1 sq. m, 25-35 g of superphosphate and ammonium nitrate are added, 35 g of potassium sulfate is also added - preferably in dissolved form.

On a note... If the soil on the site is very depleted, then compost or humus is introduced into it (a bucket per 1 sq. M).

After digging with fertilization, the soil is well loosened to a depth of 18-22 cm, it depends on the selected litter.

Selection and preparation of seeds

First, the seeds are calibrated: they are placed in a saline solution for a few minutes. The floating seeds are thrown away, and those that have sunk to the bottom are taken out and dried. Then the seeds are disinfected for about 20-30 minutes in a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate, washed and dried again. Such preparation will allow you to grow large fruits and protect the crop from diseases. It is important that the seeds only swell, but do not germinate, otherwise they will die.

On a note. For autumn planting, twice as many seeds are prepared as for spring sowing, since the planting material may be of poor quality, the seeds will not hatch and die.

Planting scheme and depth

Grooves are made at a distance of 20 cm from each other... Then dry seeds are embedded in them to a depth of no more than 5-6 cm. Leave 3-5 cm between the seeds. Sprinkle the crops with dry soil.

The bed is covered with a layer of mulch, which will act as a protective cushion for the seeds. Mulching will keep the seedlings from temperature drops, spring thaws and frosts. Spruce branches or branches of bushes are used as mulch. The garden bed is covered with a 20 cm layer. In winter, the beds are insulated with snow - this will help the seeds to successfully overwinter.

Important! The place where the radish is sown is in no case moistened, otherwise the seeds will hatch and die from frost.

Features of caring for such a landing

When the weather is warm, the shelter is removed and the first shoots are expected to appear. First of all, the plants are provided with a comfortable "population density". To do this, remove the weakest seedlings so that the distance between the roots is at least 5 cm.

Watering

Watered depending on the rains. Due to a lack of moisture, the fruits become tough and will taste bitter, and due to its excess, vegetables become watery and tasteless. If there is no rain, water it, but in moderation. So that a crust from irrigation does not form on the top layer of the soil, the earth must be loosened.

For your information... Radishes are grown both in separate beds and in mixed plantings next to cucumbers, potatoes and cabbage.

Top dressing

If the soil is depleted, use a herbal infusion diluted with water as fertilizer. To prepare top dressing, the container is a quarter filled with water, then recently collected herbs are placed there at the rate of 1 kg of plants per 10 liters of water and 2 kg of dry chicken manure are added. The container is covered with a net.

The infusion is stirred every day and used only after the mixture stops fermenting, that is, when bubbles cease to stand out. This takes 1-3 weeks. The resulting infusion is mixed with water in a 1: 1 ratio. The plant is watered under the root.

On a note. If the soil is fertile, fertilization is not necessary.

Diseases and pests

For winter radishes, with the onset of warm weather, a white-leaf, cruciferous fleas, keels, bacteriosis and black leg are dangerous.

An effective and safe way to control insects is to use ash and tobacco dust. If there are few pests, it is enough to lightly sprinkle the tops with ash. Ash particles enter the respiratory tract of pests, causing their death.

Later, to protect the plants, the radishes are sprinkled with lime and ash in a 1: 1 ratio once a week. The procedure is carried out in dry weather and must be repeated after rains. A decoction of onion husks, which is watered with seedlings, also helps. The pungent smell repels insects.

In case of massive damage to plants, the following drugs are used:

• "Arrivo";
• "Kaiser";
• "Zolon";
• Alfatsin;
• "Tod".

Against bacteriosis and keels, a Bordeaux mixture or lime solution is used: 100 g of lime is stirred in 2 liters of water. The black leg is treated with a solution of 50 g of laundry soap and 1 tbsp. l. copper sulfate, diluted in 10 liters of water.

Harvesting and recommendations

Before picking vegetables, the garden must be watered. Before morning harvesting, the soil is moistened in the evening, before daytime - 2-3 hours.

Recommendations for the correct collection and storage of root crops:

1. When harvesting, radishes are simply pulled by the tops.
2. Before pulling the radish out of the soil, the soil is lightly raked from the top of the plant to determine the size of the root crop. All vegetables with a diameter of 2.5 cm or more are removed. If the root crop of the selected plant is still small, sprinkle it with earth, allowing it to ripen.
3. Because winter radishes ripen quickly, vegetables are checked as often as possible to ensure they don't miss the right pick.
4. For further storage, vegetables are shaken off the ground, but not washed, the tops are cut off, leaving 3 cm. The fruits are placed in a plastic bag and sent to the refrigerator. So root crops will retain their marketability and taste for a long time.

Read also:

Features of planting radishes in July.

Why are radishes turning into color and how to grow them correctly.

Choosing the best fertilizer for the radish and feeding it correctly.

Conclusion

It is enough to master the agricultural technology of growing winter radish once, and you will not give up this method. Choose a site on a hillock, do not plant after fellow crucifers, do not water the seeds in the fall - and harvest a fresh crop in early spring.