Radishes on the balcony, cultivation, care rules, step by step, from sowing to harvesting

Vegetable growers who love to experiment grow a lot of things on apartment windowsills and balconies. But radishes on the balcony, the cultivation of which was organized correctly, may well turn out tasty and juicy. Of course, to obtain fruits, you will need to familiarize yourself with all the intricacies of growing the crop at home and figure out which varieties can be used.

Content:

• Choosing a variety
• Radishes on the balcony: step-by-step instructions
• Can it be grown in egg trays?
• Rules of care
• When and how to clean

Choosing a variety

On growing radishes at home, I was inspired by a friend who lives in Italy. As an experiment, she sowed radishes in a deep bowl and got an excellent harvest; she sent a photo to show off her vegetable growing skills.

Naturally, I also wanted to try my hand. An important point is the choice of suitable seeds; among all the variety, you should pay attention to those that are not prone to shoots and flowering, which are not afraid of droughts and insufficient lighting.

I found some hints that the best option is to choose super-early ripening varieties, or those intended for closed ground:

• Diego F1 is a large-fruited hybrid with juicy, crispy fruits, the diameter of which reaches 5 cm, requires 18 to 25 days for ripening, tolerates cold weather well;
• Champion, the harvest can be harvested on the 25th day, does not wither, and is not prone to the formation of voids inside the fruit;
• 16 days - a variety with the shortest ripening time, the fruits are juicy, bright red, require timely harvesting;
• French breakfast - has bright pink fruits, retains its presentation and good taste for a long period;
• Zarya is distinguished by dark red smooth fruits, very juicy, with a sharp taste, can be grown in open ground and greenhouses;
• Zhara is a very productive variety, the fruits are large. elongated, juicy, long shelf life;
• Greenhouse Gribovsky - a variety with good taste, bright red fruits, snow-white flesh;
• Sora is large-fruited and bright. with a pleasant taste, commercial properties, after ripening, are preserved for a long period.

To obtain a full-fledged root crop of these varieties, it takes from 16 to 25 days, the calculation begins from the time of the appearance of the first shoots.

Growing radishes on the balcony: step-by-step instructions

In order for the result of your work to please you with large root vegetables, and not just the lush greenery of the above-ground part, you will need to adhere to the following recommendations.

We take a container with a depth of more than 15 cm, it can be a balcony box, a flower pot, a plastic container, a bowl. It doesn’t matter what materials it is made of, but the bottom must have holes for water drainage, and it is also necessary to lay a drainage layer, which can be used as expanded clay or pieces of polystyrene foam.

The soil for planting radishes was fertile, loose, with neutral acidity. Plants will get sick in slightly acidic soil.

I prepared the substrate myself, mixing soil from the garden bed, peat, sand, and humus in equal parts.If there is no humus, compost will do just fine. Before sowing, the seeds were disinfected, and the soil was spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate (but you can use Fitosporin).

Radish seeds They germinate quickly and amicably, but it is better to sow sprouted seeds, because at home it is irrational to sow the beds and then thin out the plants. By sowing sprouted grains, you will be sure that each of them will sprout.

To germinate seeds, you will need a small plate; you can put a paper napkin on it, moisten it, and cover the spread seeds with the same napkin. The top of the plate can be covered with cellophane so that the moisture evaporates more slowly. The seeds will take a couple of days to germinate. If necessary, the napkins can be additionally moistened; they should not dry out.

When filling pots with soil, I do not add soil to the very edge, because... During the growing process, the seedlings may stretch; soil will need to be added.

The substrate in the container should be moistened and holes should be made one and a half centimeters deep. The distance between them should be at least 5 x 5 cm. The spread out seeds are sprinkled with soil, and the crops are moistened again with a spray bottle.

To maintain high humidity, the container was covered with plastic wrap and kept at room temperature, although values ​​within + 18 + 20 C are considered ideal.

Growing in egg trays and plastic bottles

I came across information about growing radishes on the balcony from seeds in egg trays. But this sowing option can be effective in open ground conditions, when the bottom is cut into the cells.

If you plan to grow radishes from seeds on a windowsill, then the soil in the cells will be too little for the plants to fully develop.You will need to install the cassettes in a box filled with soil, i.e. it will take up a lot of additional space.

I can note that I have seen reviews online about this option; the experimenters were unable to achieve the expected results. I didn't dare use this method.

It is more rational to use plastic bottles for growing radishes; they will need to be cut in half and filled with soil. Don’t forget to make holes in the bottom of the homemade container; they will be needed to drain excess water. Bottles should be placed in a tray.

Let's watch a useful video about growing radishes on the balcony:

Rules of care

If the maintenance conditions are observed, the first shoots can be observed after 2-5 days, depending on whether germination was carried out or not. After sprouts appear, the film should be removed and the containers should be moved to a cool and well-lit place.

Watering is carried out as soon as the soil dries. The temperature during the day should be higher than at night.

Although radishes are classified as short-day plants, lighting is still important for its normal development. The optimal duration of daylight hours is from 10 to 12 hours. It turns out that in spring and autumn you can place a container with plants on windows facing different sides of the world, and not just to the south.

If radishes are grown on a windowsill. then you should take into account that the plant does not like warm and dry air, the central heating radiators will need to be covered, the pot itself will need to be isolated from the windowsill so that it does not warm up.

If you plan to grow radishes at home in winter, then take care in advance of organizing high-quality lighting using phytolamps or full-spectrum LED lighting devices.

Remember, lack of light will cause plants to stretch out. Too long daylight hours will lead to bolting.

If the error is noticed in time, the situation with elongated seedlings can be corrected by pouring soil into the container.

Ideal temperature for radish growth:

• during the day from + 10 to + 15 C, the indicator should not exceed + 22 C;
• at night from + 5 to + 10 C, if it’s very difficult, then at least + 15.

It should be taken into account that during the development period before the formation of the root crop, the temperature required is lower than during the period of active formation.

Elevated temperatures almost always lead to the formation of shoots; in the absence of sufficient lighting, the plant will most likely produce only tops.

My experience shows that it is much easier to grow radishes from seeds on the balcony; on the windowsill it is difficult to create suitable humidity and provide the temperature required for the development of the plant, because The temperature of our batteries is not regulated, the plants suffer from the heat.

Watering should be carried out moderately; excess moisture can cause the development of putrefactive processes. The water used is settled and heated to room temperature. During the period of root crop formation, watering is increased; a week before the expected harvest, it is reduced to 2-3 times a week.

We remember that radishes are a plant that does not need fertilizing.

Thinning of the crops will be required if the seeds are distributed over the entire area of ​​the container.After the appearance of the second true leaf, all weak plants are removed; the distance between the bushes should be at least 5 x 5 cm.

When and how to harvest

The timing of harvesting is determined as the fruit grows; for ultra-early varieties they can occur 18 days after emergence, for mid-season and late varieties = 20-30 days. If radishes are grown in an apartment or on a balcony, ripening dates may be delayed due to violation of the requirements for plant maintenance conditions.

The harvest should be harvested in a timely manner; leaving fruits that have stopped growing in the ground for too long leads to hardening of the skin, the formation of voids inside, and the appearance of a bitter taste.

If the specified conditions are created, you can grow radishes on a windowsill or on a heated balcony almost all year round, except for summer, of course.

Let's watch another video with useful tips on growing radishes on a windowsill:

In the summer, radishes can be grown in open ground beds, and in the market its price in the summer season is quite affordable for everyone.