Daikon Radishes ?

Anyone here with some first hand experience growing, eating these? Google search turns up very interesting things. I cannot find them at any local grocery store. I love raw radishes and am looking for a milder form. Seems like all radishes are divided into Spring and Fall types, with a couple of newer hybrids that may stand the summer heat. Would appreciate any suggestions for sweeter (than normal) radishes I can grow here. Gene

No experience with Daikon here - I just grew my first breakfast radishes this year. I can ask DD as she's done veggie-growing experiments more than I. Yard-long beans?

I'm not a fan of green beans. Love sugar snap peas.

Nice surprise this morning. Forecast was for 2-4" of snow. We got none. Yeah. Driveway clear, roads clear. Have not run my snow blower yet this season ! Decided to try out the grocery store in the next town 10 miles east. They have Daikon ! Bought 2 lbs. Nice crisp white. Sweet with just a hint of spice to it. Nice. I believe I am becoming addicted to radishes. Gene

Nice! Are you going to try to regenerate the radishes from the root end? I did that once with lemon grass.

They are too big/long to try and grow indoors. I think I have enough growing inside at the moment. Gene

Do the Daikons need a long growing season? I was looking at pepper seeds yesterday in a catalog and I remembered that larger peppers (mostly sweet) need a longer growing season. Based on last year, I'd hate to bet that we'd get that.
Totally off-topic (sorry) but has anyone grown 'Sioux' tomatoes? Looking for an early salad/slicing tomato to grow in addition to my later 'Black Krim'.

http://www.jungseed.com/dp.asp?pID=03330

Checked out your link - doesn't seem like the Daikons take all that long.

That is just one type of Daikon. There are other varieties. Gene

The pieces I bought were parts of a root. No idea how long the whole thing might have been. My pieces were 8-10" long, 3-4" in diameter. No waste. They seem to store well. I am a fan indeed. I'm looking into what types will grow well here. Gene

Checked with DD about growing Daikons. She grew them in TN a few years back. Says it's best to start them in the cooler weather and to treat them similarly to carrots in that they like a looser soil. They like adequate moisture but don't want to be too wet. She says they're good to grow for soil benefits as the longer roots bring nutrients closer to the soil surface and they help break up some heavier soils.

Thanks for that info. I have very loose, sandy soil. Guess I still have some time left to find the right seeds. Light snow all day long today. I might actually have to run the snow blower tomorrow. Would be the first time this season. Wow. Gene

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003CTJJGM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3N8BTQRQHPEO2&coliid=I1GI16JN1BX37O


WHEW !!

Wow! What would you do with a radish that big? Lots of pickling? I don't know the specific type you're looking for but I did see some in Bakers Creek catalog. I would guess Johnny's or Pinetree would also have some.
First seed order placed yesterday with Bakers. All veg. DD's going to try to grow okra (for her TN DH) in MI.

The grocery store east of here must have some problems with their computer. Daikon is listed at $1.79/lb. First trip I bought 2 pounds. Did not look at my receipt until I got home, Total was $1.79. Next trip I bought 3 pounds, Again I did not look until I got home, total = $1.79. Going to have to try and remember to tell them they have a problem. Meanwhile I asked my local grocery store to stock Daikon. PLC (price look up code) for Daikon is 4598. My other favorite vegetable lately is Belgium Endive = 4543. Red Belgium Endive is 3395. Google can lead you to PLU codes for all foods, nationwide. If you have a favorite, mention the PLU code and your local grocer will thank you. Gene

This message was edited Jan 14, 2015 8:08 AM

Good to know about the UPC codes. I wonder how endive would do under lights? I remember seeing a thing on tv with commercial racks and trays of white endive. I am going to try some lettuces outdoors in addition to other greens. Have some lettuce 'Butter King' and a free packet of red Romaine seeds. I think those will have to be early crops as I can't see them doing well here in July or August.

PLU not UPC. Every fruit, vegetable, etc., has a code used by all grocery stores nationwide. Belgium Endive is something I would not try to grow. Very complicated. Love to eat it though. Gene

Just discovered a neat trick for radishes. All types including Daikon. To remove some of the heat/spice that can be there, soak slices of your radish in cold water for at least an hour. Over night works. I now have a bowl of cold water in the ref. with slices of Daikon in it constantly. Water is changed twice a day. Works. Have not counted (perhaps I do not want to know) how much Daikon I am eating daily/weekly. At least 1/2 lb. daily I'll bet. Gene

What's the Daikon flavor like compared to standard radishes? Are you going to try pickling any of them?

I am not a fan of pickled anything. I only eat radishes raw. Daikon is very crisp, juicy, milder than the standard red radishes. From all that I am reading it seems like the spicy flavor is not just species dependent. Also depends on when you harvest them and some growing conditions. Gene

I would guess that they'd get a little hotter in summer. I woinder if you could grow them in a big pot if your soil isn't suited to them. But you probably couldn't grow enough in pots. I grow half-long carrots in pots because my soil doesn't like carrots.

One web site says grow them on pots, anther says no. Depending on the variety you are growing, I assume. Some do indeed get large - too large for pots. Hey, you live in an area that is more heavily populated than where I am = should be a store nearby that has some in stock. Do get some and try them out. I'm hooked. But that does not mean I will put a lot of effort into growing them this year. I'll give them a try but am not expecting much - as I do with anything new. Gene

Hmmm - let's just say that the stores in my area aren't too adventuresome when it comes to unique (to our area) foods. I might be able to try an Asian store a couple of towns away. We are getting a Whole Foods this year about 10 miles away. That will upset a lot of the grocery stores (and rightly so IMHO).
I just figured that you might not be able to grow as many Daikons as your appetite for them will demand. :)

Asked my local grocery store to carry it. Nothing yet. So, I still drive once a week to the next town east of here. Averaging over 5 lbs. a week right now. Gene

That's a lot of radishes! I was reading that there are supposed to be numerous health benefits in eating them.

Gee, I hope that is true !

My local grocery store now carries Daikon. Seems like a better quality one but at twice the price of getting it 25 miles away. I'll probably stick with the local store if they keep it in stock. Gene

I'll be on the hunt over the next couple of weeks now that I have a little more time to experiment.