How to Grow Daikons
On this page
Daikon (Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus) — annual or biennial grown as an annual.
The short answer
- Site
- soil pH 6–7
- Biggest risk
- Brassica downy mildew
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Daikon (Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus)
3 sources cited · Verified
At a Glance
Quick Facts
| Factor | Value |
|---|---|
| Soil pH | 6 - 7 |
| Soil texture | chalk, clay, loam or sand (RHS) |
| Drainage | well-drained |
| Lifecycle | annual or biennial grown as an annual |
| Edible parts | root, leaves |
Soil & Growing Conditions
Water: moist, moisture-retentive; water regularly especially in warm weather (RHS, Gardening Know How)
Soil pH range
Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.
Growth Stages
| Stage | BBCH | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sowing | 0 | Sow by seed into moisture-retentive, not-too-acidic soil in full sun (RHS). |
| Root development | 3 | Grows best allowed to mature in cooler weather, 50-65°F; water regularly especially in warm weather, mulch the bed (Gardening Know How). |
| Sizing | 4 | Root elongates to 20-60cm long and 5-10cm diameter depending on variety (Gardening Know How). |
| Harvest | 8 | Ready for an autumn to early-winter harvest; extremely quick to reach this stage for its root size (RHS). |
Harvest & Storage
When to pick: Autumn to early-winter harvest; extremely quick to reach maturity for a root crop this size (RHS). Roots range 20-60cm long and 5-10cm in diameter depending on variety (Gardening Know How).
Diseases
Pests
Daikon, Sowing to Harvest
Plan your Daikons planting
Timing for Daikons follows soil temperature and frost, not the calendar date. The Global vegetable planting calendar explains the method. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.
Growing Daikon in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
Sources
-
A secondary gardening reference rather than a university or horticultural authority, used only for temperature range/root size detail RHS's cultivar page does not cover, not contradicted by it. Daikon is a winter radish, growing best when allowed to mature in colder weather, preferring temperatures between 50-65°F. Roots range 20-60cm (8-24in) long and 5-10cm (2-4in) in diameter depending on variety. Water regularly, especially in warm weather, and mulch the bed.
-
Mirrors FAO Ecocrop. Fetched and parsed directly for the numeric soil pH range.
These 2 sources are specific to this region. The full list of 3 sources behind this guide (Gardening Know How, Royal Horticultural Society, Useful Tropical Plants) is in the references of our UK guide to daikon; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What soil pH does daikon need?
A pH of about 6–7. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.
What problems affect daikon?
Our data links 1 disease and 3 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.
Plan next season before the problems start
This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.
Get the Global Garden Planner →Instant PDF download · Works in either hemisphere
How this guide is put together
The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against international horticultural research and extension sources. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.
Related Problem Guides
Last verified 2026-08-29
Related guides
More from the same group (brassicas & mustards):
Where To Go From Here
Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.
Keep going
Plan the next step
Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.