Raphanus sativus (45 days) AKA Japanese Minowase Daikon Radish. Daikon is a root vegetable reported to have originated in the Mediterranean and brought to China for cultivation around 500 B.C. Roots are large, often 2 to 4 inches in diameter and 6 to 20 inches long. Very easy to grow. The flavor is mild compared to other radishes and looks more like a carrot. Daikon has high water content and is very low in calories. It is rich in vitamin C, potassium and folate and a good source of magnesium. The leaves contain beta-carotene, calcium and iron besides vitamin C. The Daikon root has a crisp, mild flavour and is excellent fresh in salads. Roots can be peeled, sliced, grated, diced for soups and stews, boiled whole or dehydrated as strips. Rabbits, goats, cows, hogs will enjoy the roots and chickens relish the tops! Diakons are a hardy staple on our farm! We allow animals to graze entire fields planted as a cover crop. Excellent for breaking up the soil, improves water penetration and allowing surface level nutrients down root channels. This has been deemed "bio-drilling". In research plots, four times as many corn roots penetrated a compact subsoil after a forage radish cover crop as after winter fallow and twice as many as after a rye cover crop. Data suggests that biodrilling with cover crops like forage radish can substitute for expensive and energy intensive deep ripping and other mechanical methods to alleviate the effects of soil compaction. They're allelopathic, which means they give off a biochemical (glycosinolate compounds) that inhibits weed growth.
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