How to grow Daikon in Australia

Where to plant

Choose a sunny bed with deep, loose soil that drains well. Daikon roots push down 30 cm or more, and they fork or twist in compacted, stony or heavy soil, so dig deeply and remove stones, or grow in a raised bed. Use soil improved with compost from an earlier crop rather than fresh manure, which also causes forking.

Daikon is a cool-season crop. Most varieties bolt, running to flower instead of making a root, when sown into warm, lengthening days. Daikon belongs to the cabbage family, so rotate it with other crops rather than following cabbages, broccoli or other radishes.

• South East Queensland, the Northern Rivers, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth: sow from March to August.
• Melbourne: sow from March to August. Later sowings from June to August mature in the cool months.
• Canberra: sow from January to April for the main autumn crop, or in September and October for a spring crop. Cold soil stops germination in winter.
• Hobart: sow from November to February for roots in autumn and winter. Spring sowings tend to bolt after cold nights.
• North Queensland and Darwin: sow in the dry season, May to August, as daikon needs cool conditions.

How to plant

1. Dig the bed deeply and rake it to a fine, stone-free surface.
2. Sow seed direct about 1 cm deep in rows 30 cm apart. Daikon does not transplant well, as moving it damages the root.
3. Keep the soil moist until seedlings appear, usually within a week.
4. Thin seedlings early to about 15 to 20 cm apart, so each root has room to swell. Eat the thinnings as microgreens.
5. Sow a short row every few weeks through the season for a steady supply.

Watering and feeding

Water regularly so the soil never dries right out. Daikon that dries out and then gets a heavy soaking often splits, and plants checked by dry spells grow tough, woody or hot-tasting roots. Mulch between rows once the seedlings are up.

Daikon needs little feeding in soil already improved with compost. If growth is slow, a light liquid feed helps, but avoid high-nitrogen fertilisers, which grow leaves at the expense of root.

Harvesting

Harvest when the root is thick and long and its white shoulders push up out of the soil, usually 8 to 12 weeks after sowing. In a New South Wales trial, roots reached a market weight of about 1 kg in 60 days from a spring sowing and 82 to 85 days from an autumn sowing. Loosen the soil beside the root with a fork before you pull, as long roots snap.

Do not leave roots in the ground for too long. Over-mature daikon goes pithy, with spongy, hollow flesh, and plants left into warm weather bolt. Trim off the leaves before storing; the roots keep for up to 2 weeks in a bag in the fridge.

Growing in pots

Long varieties need deep soil and do poorly in pots. Shorter, round or stumpy daikon types can be grown in a pot or trough at least 30 cm deep, filled with a light potting mix and kept evenly moist.

Using it

Grate daikon raw to serve with Japanese dishes, slice it into salads, quick pickle it, or simmer it in soups, stews and braises, where it turns soft and sweet. The young leaves can be cooked like other greens.