Harvest round shape daikon radish (Daikon radish maturity time) and battle with aphids

2020/12/13

Grow round shape daikon radish in pesticide free cultivation. (Growing daikon radish from seed.) The round shape daikon radish growing under the garden tunnel has been fertilized about 45 days ago. I think it’s about time to harvest, so I want to pull them out. (Round shape daikon radish maturity time.)

Round shape daikon radish is harvested as a whole plant. Hold the base of the leaves firmly to harvest it. Use a shovel to loosen the soil around the round shape daikon to make it easier to pull out.

The harvested round shape daikon radish was about 12cm (4.7 inches) in diameter.

I plan to harvest the remaining daikon at a later time. In winter, daikon grows slowly, so you can leave it in the field for a while without harvesting. This helps keep the daikon fresh.

Growing round shape daikon radish and cylindrical shape daikon radish: 2020 Guide

Growing round shape daikon and cylindrical shape daikon radish from seeds. A record from soil preparation to harvest.

Soil preparation for daikon starts in mid-September. We grow 'autumn daikon’ from fall to winter, so we prepare the soil early to help it grow big while the weather is still warm.

Daikon seeds were planted 5 days after soil preparation. Daikon attracts many pests, so we use grow tunnel with an insect netting to protect it.

We thinned the daikon three times from late September to mid-October. To thin daikon, we used scissors to cut the base of the plants.

The fertilizing of daikon was on late October. It was our first time growing daikon in 2020, so we applied fertilizer.

We harvested cylindrical shape daikon radish at the end of November, before round shape daikon. It took about 2 months from seeding to harvest.

Persistent aphids on daikon, canola, and etc

After harvesting daikon, when I looked around the field, I noticed quite a few aphids. As for daikon, they’re already at the stage where they just need to be harvested, so I’m not too worried about aphid damage.

However, I’m concerned about aphid damage for crops like strawberries and spring cabbage because their harvest time is still ahead. (Aphids are also pests that can transmit diseases.)

We have prepared 'oil soap water’ for aphid control in the field, but honestly, its effectiveness is somewhat underwhelming.

Oil soap water is a mixture of water, cooking oil, and unscented, uncolored dishwashing liquid. It should be used sparingly, about once a week, to avoid damaging the vegetables.

We also use duct tape to control aphids. (Stick tape on leaves to directly remove aphids.)

Here are all the aphids we could remove this time. Tape is good because it allows us to directly remove aphids, but it’s tough to continue for long periods due to the squatting position.

The aphids are not decreasing at all. This battle looks like it will continue for a while…

Following is the video for how-to. English subtitles are available.

Harvest round shape daikon radish (Daikon radish maturity time) and battle with aphids – YouTube