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  • From: Brian <bcluton AT aol.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Cc: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Forage radishes
  • Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2012 23:00:00 -0500

Both the culinary Daikon that we grow and the Tillage Radish all end up with
a good chunk of root above ground. A few inches to practically a foot in some
cases. They're still getting down though.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 13, 2012, at 10:50 PM, Marlin Burkholder <burkholders AT glenecofarm.com>
wrote:

>
>
> This past fall I planted forage radishes (diakons) on about an acre and a
> half of my crop ground after summer crops finished. Some plots planted to
> fall crops like turnips and fall greens got a row of radishes planted
> between the crop rows after the crop was up and going.
>
> I was told by other farmers that diakon radishes send down a large taproot
> that penetrates 1 1/2 - 2 feet into the subsoil to break up hardpan and to
> cycle nutrients deep in the soil profile up to the surface. As the plant
> winterkills the root rots and leaves a 2 inch diameter hole that allows
> rainwater to enter and freezing activity in the hole further loosens the
> soil as deep as the root penetrated. Abundant top growth adds biomass to
> the top of the soil. Nice logic here offers an attractive alternative to
> the double digging method advocated by John Jeavons in order to achieve deep
> tillage and healthy soil organic matter. A lot of acres in Rockingham
> county were planted as a winter cover crop for this purpose this year.
>
> However an interesting thing has occurred. I have a lot of roots sticking
> up six inches or more above the soil surface. Does this suggest that maybe
> those radish roots grew down until they hit the hardpan and, instead of
> punching on through, they pushed up at the surface?
>
> In the spring I ran a subsoiler on roughly 3 foot centers for the purpose of
> breaking hardpan. I haven't looked closely yet, but I haven't noticed bands
> of radishes without roots protruding above the soil line, suggesting that
> they were directly above the subsoiler track and didn't encounter resistance
> growing down.
>
> Just curious.
> Marlin Burkholder
> Virginia
>
>
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