Growing Hydroponic Radish
Radish is one of the few root vegetables that grow extremely well in a hydroponic system, and they don’t require large net cups to grow smaller varieties. In fact, you can grow radishes in both the 1” net cup that comes with our uHarvest® tabletop garden and the 2” net cups that come with our larger iHarvest® indoor garden. Radishes come in a variety of colors, including purple, pink, pale green, black and white. Their flavors vary from mild to very peppery/spicy.
In addition to being eaten raw as a snack, or added to salads and other dishes, radishes can be cooked just like any other root vegetable, which happens to mellow out their spicy, peppery taste. You may want to consider pickling radishes, which is a great way to store them over time while maintaining much of their satisfying crunch. The green leaves that sprout from the head of radishes are edible too, and have a peppery/spicey flavor. They can also be cooked or added to salads to add a little spice.
Radish has healthy amounts of vitamin C, and also contains chemical compounds that can help to regulate blood sugar levels. They’re a great, healthy snack or addition to many plates.
| Hydroponic Radishes | ||||
| Germination | Light | EC Range | pH Range: | Time to Harvest |
| Easy | 10-16 | 1.6-2.2 | 6.0-7.0 | 4-5 weeks |
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Nutrient and Health Info - Radish has healthy amounts of vitamin C, and also contains chemical compounds that can help to regulate blood sugar levels.
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Tips & Tricks - These little root vegetables are easy and fast to germinate and grow in hydroponic systems, and can be grown in both 1" and 2" net cups.
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Germination:
Approximately 80% of radish seeds will end up germinating successfully, and in only 10 or fewer days. Because radishes are a root vegetable being grown in a small net cup, and because they germinate so successfully, you should only plant one seed in each net cup. Fortunately, radish bulbs will pop out of the net cup as they continue to grow, giving them more space to grow above. Just make sure your radish does not grow too big and end up getting stuck in your hydroponic system, in which case you will have to cut it out to extract it. Radishes can be grown in both 1” and 2” net cups.
Light:
Being a root vegetable, radishes don’t need a lot of light. They can do well with as little as 10 hours of artificial light per day. But up to 16 hours won’t hurt your radishes, so you can use more light and grow your radishes with other fruits, vegetables leafy greens, and herbs in your hydroponic garden.
EC Range:
Radishes grow in a hydroponic sweet spot, preferring an EC range between 1.6 – 2.2. This means that they’ll grow very well with a variety of other plants in your indoor hydroponic garden.
pH Range:
Radish prefers a pH range between 6.0 – 7.0.
Nutrients:
Grow your radishes with the IGWorks® Green Machine nutrients. They’ve got everything you need for leafy greens, herbs and even radishes.
Time to Harvest:
One of the great things about growing radishes is that they are ready to harvest quickly. You should be able to harvest your radish in only 4-5 weeks.
Pruning and Harvesting:
You’ll want to harvest the entire radish. There’s no ‘cut and come again’ harvesting of this crunchy little root vegetable. Fortunately, because radishes grow so quickly, you’ll have more radishes on your plate in no time.
Don’t wait too long to harvest your radishes or you may end up destroying your net cups, as the radish bulb will slowly expand, stretch, or even crack your net cups over time.
Conclusion:
Radishes are a wonderful, heathy, crunchy snack that are fun to munch on raw, cut up and include in salads or side dishes, or cook as a root vegetable by roasting, braising, and grilling. Similar to arugula, you’re also likely to enjoy the spicey flavor of their leaves when added to salads. So why not enjoy the experience of growing this tasty little root vegetable in your indoor garden.
Check Out Our Radish Recipes!
Let’s grow together!