Radish seedlings growing in pot

If you plan to grow 66 pound radishes, you probably don’t want to try to do so in a container. However, if you’re growing small white or red Globe radishes, a container would be perfectly adequate.

The benefit of growing radishes in containers is that you can also control your light source, and when the summer becomes extra hot, you can move radishes to a cooler spot where they’ll be happier.

If you are growing radishes in pots or other containers, make sure you are planting smaller round spring radishes that sprout in about three weeks. Long or oblong radishes and winter radishes take much longer to grow (closer to five weeks) and containers might be too restricting.

In terms of spacing, radishes want to be planted 1″ apart, so make sure the width of your container can accommodate how many radishes you want to grow.

Light

Radishes are cool-weather crops and like full sun in the spring and fall, and partial sun or shade in the heat of the summer. Growing radishes in containers means that you can move them out of the sun when the summer begins to get hot, if you need to.

Water

Drought is not ideal for radishes. The stress of drought can cause a tough texture and unsavory flavor. Overwatering is better than underwatering because they need water to develop.

Ideally, radishes should get a total of an inch of either rainfall or watering every week, but if your soil is particularly sandy, you’ll want to water more than that.

Unlike other vegetables, that do better with a deep soak once a week, radishes prefer consistent moisture. Without it, they’re prone to cracking if the soil rotates between being ultra dry and then moist again. This doesn’t mean they want to sit in soaking wet, undrained soil, though, which can cause rot. In general, radishes growing in containers would be happy with several waterings throughout the week.

The benefit of containers is that they typically stay more hydrated than a garden bed when watered frequently. In a raised bed garden, drip lines and soaker hoses would be ideal.

Mulch, like straw or leaves, on top of your containers is a great way to keep moisture in.

Soil

Radishes aren’t very particular about soil, and when you grow them in containers using common potting soil, you’re most likely providing them with everything they need.

That said, radishes like fertile soil that is deep, so you’ll want deep containers. They are happy with regular soil or partially sandy soil as long as it remains hydrated.

Have you grown radishes in containers? Please tell us about your successes and challenges growing radishes in containers.