Rat tail radish – Vegetable garden

Rat tail radish is an erect, branched, yearly plant developing around 45cm tall. Rat Tail Radish  One of a kind radish grown, not for its roots, but rather for the long, slim, bending purple seedpods that develop in bounty over the ground on stunningly pretty plants. Looking like frilly mists that have landed in the garden, 3-4′ verdant plants initially deliver a serene cloud of pink and white wildflowers, followed by a glorious profusion of 3-6 purple and green pods. Tasty crude or cooked, the longer purple pods and shorter green pods are crisp and tender, with a more nuanced spicy accent than a typical radish, and with none of the harshness. Nutritious pods add bite and tang to stir-fry dishes. Like many spicy foods radish is used to treat indigestion and as a laxative and for some types of parasites. Later research has discovered that rattail radish pods have mild antioxidant properties and compounds that make it a possible for use in treating colon cancer.

Scientific Name: Raphanus caudatus
Common Name: Rat-tail radish, Serpent radish or Tail pod radish.

 

 

 

 

 

How to grow and maintain Rat-tail radish:

Light:
The plants will develop and bloom in full sun to partial shade, however, will do best if they get no less than 6 hours of sun for each day.

soil:
It is like a genuinely neutral soil pH of around 6.0 to 7.0. Edible podded radishes are a bit more forgiving of soil because they are not framing underground bulbs.

Water:
Water regularly for a constant product. A soaker hose around the base of the plants with day by day watering produces the best outcomes. Less water will deliver smaller pods, they may be hotter, but they tend to be more fibrous and tough so adding more water and having tender slightly milder pods tends to work best.

Fertilizer:
Adding a little measure of compost once seven days helps keep the plants strong and healthy.

Pests and diseases:
Rat-tail radishes are resistant to most diseases and pests. The biggest pest threat for rat-tail radish plants is aphids. Along these lines, you should need to keep an eye out for aphids late in the season. Ladybugs are useful at warding off the unwanted pests. A steady spray of water will often discourage aphids too, at least for a while.

Harvest:
Gather pods when about the thickness of a pencil and from 3-12 long. Collect regularly to keep plants producing pods. Mature pods become hard, tough and bitter tasting so they should be picked and discarded.