Radish Companion Planting
Raphanus sativus
Mustard (Brassicaceae) -- cool season
Good Companions for Radish
Radish matures in 25-35 days, well before lettuce heads need the space. Radish taproots break surface compaction, improving soil structure for lettuce's fibrous root system. Efficient succession use of space.
Sow radish and lettuce seed simultaneously. Harvest radish as lettuce matures.
- Relay and sequential cropping systems for small-scale vegetable production -- HortTechnology (2007)
Radish interplanted with cucumbers acts as a trap crop for flea beetles (Phyllotreta spp.) and cucumber beetles (Diabrotica undecimpunctata). Beetles preferentially feed on radish leaves, reducing damage to cucumber seedlings.
Direct-sow radish around cucumber hills 1-2 weeks before transplanting cucumbers.
- Using radish as a trap crop for cucumber beetle management -- Journal of Economic Entomology (2006)
- Trap crops for flea beetle and cucumber beetle management -- Iowa State University Extension (2015)
Radish matures in 25-35 days and is harvested before lettuce needs full canopy space. Radish taproots break surface compaction, creating soil channels for lettuce fibrous roots. This is a well-documented relay intercropping system.
Sow radish and lettuce seed simultaneously. Radish marks rows and is harvested as lettuce matures.
- Relay and sequential cropping systems for small-scale vegetable production -- HortTechnology (2007)
- Intercropping for resource-efficient vegetable production -- Acta Horticulturae (2010)
Radish germinates and matures quickly, marking slow-germinating parsnip rows (parsnip takes 2-4 weeks to germinate). Radish is harvested before parsnip needs the space.
Sow radish and parsnip seed together. Radish marks rows and breaks soil crust for parsnip emergence.
- Relay and sequential cropping systems for small-scale vegetable production -- HortTechnology (2007)