Can You Grow Radishes in a Garage? (A Quick Helpful Guide!)
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Can You Grow Radishes in a Garage?
A radish, cucumber and lettuce salad with lemon vinaigrette will raise your lunch or dinner to a new level by its zest & crunchiness. Make salads, sandwiches and soups from fresh radishes. Roast them or pickle them if you like. But to get your daily supply, can you grow radishes at home in a garage?
It is best to grow radishes in containers in a garage. Radish is a hardy cool season plant and grows quite well even in a cold garage.
But it may not survive outdoors if there is prolonged frost or temperatures remain below freezing for too long.
You can be assured of a fresh supply of fresh healthy radishes all year round if you grow them in containers in your garage. Radishes are low in calories and are packed with fiber and vitamins. Make them a part of your everyday meal, if you can!
How to Grow Radishes in a Garage?
Radishes grow very fast, which makes it easy to grow radishes in your garage. You can harvest a crop of radishes in four weeks. Stagger the planting, as per your consumption requirement and you can have fresh radishes everyday of the year!
Use the following tips to successfully grow radishes in your garage:
Use Large Pots
You can use either a long or a round pot but it should generally be 12″ – 16″ wide. For most radishes a container that is 6” deep will be perfect. For growing larger varieties you may pick containers that are 10” – 14” deep.
It is a good idea to use 1 gallon plastic cans for smaller radish varieties and 5 gallon buckets for larger varieties. These containers are relatively cheap and can easily be moved around when required. You should punch holes in the bottom of the containers for proper drainage.
Plan to grow 6 to 8 small radishes in a 1 gallon plastic can and 15 large radishes in a 5 gallon bucket.
Buy Potting Mix
While it is possible to make your own soil mix for filling the container, it is better to buy ready-made potting mixes from online stores. The ready-made potting mix comes in the right consistency and with the right amount of nutrients to get the radishes going from the get go!
I recommend buying a good potting mix, such as Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix. It is lightweight, has good drainage and comes with an initial dose of nutrients.
Planting the Seeds
Radish seeds are quite small so you can just scatter them in the container filled with the potting mix and cover them with another ½” of the mix. Make sure that you are putting in the right quantity and not overcrowding the seeds.
Stagger the Planting
It is better to stagger the planting of the radish seeds. That way you can harvest them on a regular basis. For example, if you expect to consume around 15 large radishes every week, then plant seeds in one 5 gallon bucket every week.
Alternatively you can plant different radish varieties, each with a different growth cycle. In this case your harvest will still be staggered.
Regular Watering
Radish plants need regular watering. Check the soil every day and water it, if it is dry. The soil in the pot should always be moist, but never soggy.
The pot must have good drainage to drain away any excess water and not let the soil become soggy.
Nutrients
The nutrient requirement of a radish plant is not much, as they are fast growing. Initial nutrients in the potting mix will last a couple of weeks. You can replenish nutrients once after 2 weeks of planting. That will last till harvesting time!
I recommend using a general purpose nutrient such as Miracle-Gro Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food.
Maintaining Temperature
Radishes are cool season plants and are relatively less sensitive to low temperatures. The ideal temperature for growing radishes in a garage is 50 to 70° F. However radishes can easily handle a wider temperature range of 40 to 90° F.
Light Requirement
Radishes need at least six hours of sunlight every day for healthy growth. Try to keep the radish pots near a window in your garage. If the garage does not have windows, keep the pots near the garage door and keep the door open to let the sunlight in.
Radishes also grow well under “fluorescent grow lights” but then need an exposure of 12 to 16 hours every day.
Harvesting Radishes
The harvesting time for radishes depends on the radish variety. Some can be harvested in 3 to 4 weeks while others take 6 to 8 weeks.
Separate the leaves from the root immediately after pulling out the plant from the soil. You can use the leaves to make salads or sandwiches, as they are edible and very tasty.
Wash the radishes well before use. Slice them and use them in any dish of your choice. I prefer to eat them raw rather than cooked, but you can cook them too, if you like.
Bottom Line
The bottom line is that it is relatively easy to grow radishes in containers in your garage. They are cold temperature tolerant, grow fast and need little attention other than watering every 2 – 3 days. Make radishes a part of your vegetable garden in the garage!
Thank you very much for reading the post. I do hope you found it informative and useful.
