Pod radish

Pod radish: Description and properties

Radish lovers will surely appreciate the taste of its exotic counterpart - pod radish or Javanese. The homeland of this plant is the island of Java. In the tropics, its fruits grow up to 50-60 cm. Hanging from the plant, the pods resemble snakes or tails, for which this radish is also called serpentine, a tailed radish, a rat's tail.

In our climate, the height of the pod radish (rat tail) reaches 2 meters, the width is more than 1 meter, the length of the fruits is 10-12 cm.The bushes themselves are quite powerful, and with the appearance of pods, the number of which on one plant can reach several dozen pieces, you cannot do without a garter and additional supports.

Pod radish tolerates frosts well down to - 2 degrees, and according to the observations of some gardeners and up to - 6 degrees.

And one more indisputable plus - this plant will not “go into the arrow”.

According to gardeners who have experience in growing this vegetable, the taste of its fruits is very similar to ordinary radishes, only slightly more pungent and slightly spicy. Pod radish is added to salads, soups, fried and pickled.

Experts note that its use of pod radish has a positive effect on the digestive processes, intestinal microflora, and the silicon contained in it strengthens the walls of blood vessels, improves immunity.

Like many vegetables, pod radish (rat's tail) is a source of fiber, and its low calorie content (16 kcal per 100 g) will diversify the diet of those on a diet.

This culture is quite common in the countries of Asia and America, and according to some sources, pod radish is not such a novelty in our plots. There is information that this plant was grown here in the pre-revolutionary period. For what reason we “forgot” about him for so many years, it is not known.

Planting radishes

Gardeners who have been practicing the cultivation of pod radish for more than one year recommend choosing well-drained, fertilized areas for planting, which are illuminated throughout the day.

You can sow pod radish in the usual way for us, and if you want to accelerate the ripening of fruits, you can grow seedlings for subsequent planting in open ground.

Given the size of an adult plant, the distance between plantings should be at least 70 cm.

When sowing, seedlings appear in 7-10 days, and after 20 days a phase of active growth and development begins, during which the plant rather quickly acquires a bush-like shape. Planting flowering radish looks very decorative and will become a real decoration of your site for a while.

Many gardeners plant crops starting in spring and throughout the summer. The first fruits can be removed after 50 days. And, since the plant tolerates light frosts well, the harvest is harvested until late autumn.

It should be noted that overripe fruits become coarse, lose their juiciness, which impairs their taste. Therefore, it is better not to delay with their collection.

An exception can be made for several branches to get your planting material. When the pods begin to dry out a little, you need to cut them off and leave to dry. After complete drying, thresh gently.

Plant care

The main care of the pod radish is to ensure regular watering, maintain soil moisture, remove weeds, and loosen. When growing radishes in prepared areas, no additional fertilization is required.

Also, after the first harvest, pinching should be carried out in a timely manner.Since the pod radish has a rather long growing season, and by removing the upper peduncles, we will give the opportunity to ripen the already set fruits.

In addition, you need to be prepared to fight cabbage pests, which also "fall in love" with this exotic culture.

Some growers deliberately grow pod radishes next to cabbages as a "distraction". The cruciferous flea from cabbage migrates to radish, which withstands its "attacks" well.

In general, whichever side you look at, there are some pluses in the cultivation of pod radish.