Rat-tailed radish

Gardens are often on the lookout for an easy to grow plant which grows quickly, occupies little space and produces maximum harvests. Rat-tailed radish ticks all these boxes! The plants requires minimum space and care, easily growing in containers or in small spaces. Once planted, germination occurs in just 2-5 days and flowering begins as soon as 30 days. Once flowering starts, the first pods will be ready in 1-2 weeks only and the more you harvest, the more pods will be produced by the plant. Plants can be harvested on a weekly basis and the pods are used in roughly the same way as green beans. The hundreds of white and pink flowers on the plant are visually appealing and irresistible to pollinators as well! At the end of the season, a few pods can be left to dry on the plant to give you plenty of seeds to grow the following seasons. We recommend this as the one plant gardeners MUST have in their gardens!

Rat tailed radish is a completely edible plant. Although the young seed pods are the most valued part of the plant, the edible leaves can be used in salads or as a spinach substitute, the edible flowers can be used as a garnish, and the tap root, although more though fibrous that most radish varieties is occasionally used in the preparation of broths and soups as a source of flavor. Although market awareness of this crop has drastically fallen, as people move over to more western food crops like green beans and lettuce, a new awareness is rising amongst environmentally conscious audiences. This crop fits the definition of being season, sustainable and local perfectly, its amazing taste is quick to win hearts and its ease of use makes it easy for people to start using this vegetable in their kitchens. Farmers can easily plant a single line of rat tailed radish amongst or on the border of other crops to attract beneficial insects, repel pests, and provide a source of food and additional revenue for themselves. For permaculture farms, the ability of this plant to reseed and spread can be utilized by making it a component of the farming system.

The flowers of rat tailed radish are a rich source of nectar that attracts many pollinators. It also attracts other insects, such as beneficial spiders and wasps, which in turn help control pests. Ladybugs can be found in abundance all over this plant, which they love to use as a host to lay eggs on. This helps balance the natural food chain of the ecosystem and prevents pest problems on other crops. This plant is resistant to aphids and can be used as a trap crop. Although aphids will jump from other plants to this plant, harvests will rarely be affected as ladybugs and other predators quickly control the damage.

A crop with a deep tap root, rat railed radish can collect nutrients from deep in the soil and bring them back to the surface, making them accessible to future crops. As a member of the mustard family, the roots of radish can secrete allelopathic compounds, which naturally help reduce weeds. The sulfuric compounds produced in mustard family crops can also repel soil borne pests, including root nematodes. For this reason this plant can be used as part of a cover crop/ green manure mix, to add biomass to the soil, reduce weeds and eliminate many soil pests.