How to Grow Rat-tailed Radish USA

By the SoilCommander Editorial Team, under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder · · How we check our facts

On this page
  1. Rat-tailed Radish (Raphanus sativus var. caudatus)
  2. At a Glance
  3. Quick Facts
  4. Soil & Growing Conditions
  5. Growth Stages
  6. Harvest & Storage
  7. Diseases
  8. Pests
  9. Rat-tailed Radish, a Radish Grown for Its Pods
  10. Plan your Rat-tailed Radish planting
  11. Growing Rat-tailed Radish in another region
  12. Sources
  13. Frequently Asked Questions

Rat-tailed radish (Raphanus sativus var. caudatus) — 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.

Rat-tailed Radish (Raphanus sativus var. caudatus)

Green and purple rat-tailed radish seed pods on their stems, the edible part of the crop — “Rat-tail-radish-pods1-11July2020 01” by MerielGJones is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Also known as: mougri · 3 sources cited · Verified

At a Glance

Rat-tailed radish stems carrying both pale flowers and developing seed pods — “Rat-tail-radish-pods2-11July2020 02” by MerielGJones is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Rat-tail-radish-pods2-11July2020 02” by MerielGJones is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Raphanus sativus var. c… Rat-tailed Radish Brassica downy mildew Aphids Cabbage caterpillars DISEASES PESTS

Quick Facts

Green and purple rat-tailed radish seed pods on their stems, the edible part of the crop — “Rat-tail-radish-pods1-11July2020 01” by MerielGJones is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Rat-tail-radish-pods1-11July2020 01” by MerielGJones is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Factor Value
Soil pH 6 - 7
Soil texture compost-rich soil (The Gourmantic Garden)
Drainage well-drained
Lifecycle annual
Edible parts seed pods

Soil & Growing Conditions

Green and purple rat-tailed radish seed pods on their stems, the edible part of the crop — “Rat-tail-radish-pods1-11July2020 01” by MerielGJones is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Rat-tail-radish-pods1-11July2020 01” by MerielGJones is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Water: keep well-hydrated throughout the growing season (The Gourmantic Garden)

Soil pH range

6 7

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

Rat-tailed radish stems carrying both pale flowers and developing seed pods — “Rat-tail-radish-pods2-11July2020 02” by MerielGJones is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Rat-tail-radish-pods2-11July2020 02” by MerielGJones is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Stage BBCH Notes
Sowing 0 Direct sow 1cm deep, spaced 2-4cm apart, into compost-rich soil in full sun (The Gourmantic Garden).
Germination 0 Germinates readily in warm weather; significantly slower in cooler months (The Gourmantic Garden).
Bushy growth 3 Grows bush-like to around 1m, sometimes over 1.5m -- benefits from staking. Keep well-hydrated throughout (The Gourmantic Garden).
Pod harvest 8 Matures in 6-8 weeks. Harvest pods with secateurs at around 7cm long, before they toughen (The Gourmantic Garden).

Harvest & Storage

Green and purple rat-tailed radish seed pods on their stems, the edible part of the crop — “Rat-tail-radish-pods1-11July2020 01” by MerielGJones is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Rat-tail-radish-pods1-11July2020 01” by MerielGJones is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to pick: Harvest pods with secateurs once around 7cm long and filled with seeds, before they begin to fatten and toughen; pods can grow over 60cm if left, but become tough and fibrous past about 30cm (The Gourmantic Garden, Useful Tropical Plants).

Diseases

Rat-tailed radish stems carrying both pale flowers and developing seed pods — “Rat-tail-radish-pods2-11July2020 02” by MerielGJones is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Rat-tail-radish-pods2-11July2020 02” by MerielGJones is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Brassica downy mildew
moderate

Hyaloperonospora brassicae (syn. Peronospora parasitica)

Likely rather than confirmed: no source names this crop directly, but it shares a species (Raphanus sativus) with Radish/Black Radish/Daikon, which are susceptible to this disease per RHS.

Pests

Green and purple rat-tailed radish seed pods on their stems, the edible part of the crop — “Rat-tail-radish-pods1-11July2020 01” by MerielGJones is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Rat-tail-radish-pods1-11July2020 01” by MerielGJones is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
low

Aphididae (various spp.)

The Gourmantic Garden names this directly: aphids, hosed or brushed off.

Cabbage caterpillars
moderate

Pieris brassicae; Pieris rapae; Pieris napi; Mamestra brassicae; Plutella xylostella

The Gourmantic Garden names this directly as "cabbage moth caterpillars" -- matched to the closest existing pest entity, "Cabbage caterpillars" (hand-removed).

Plan your Rat-tailed Radish planting

When to sow and plant Rat-tailed Radish depends on your own frost dates. Check the USA vegetable planting calendar. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Rat-tailed Radish in another region

Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

Sources

The full list of 3 sources behind this guide (Royal Horticultural Society, The Gourmantic Garden, Useful Tropical Plants) is in the references of our UK guide to rat-tailed radish; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What soil pH does rat-tailed radish 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 rat-tailed radish?

Our data links 1 disease and 2 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

Almost everything on this page resolves to your own frost dates rather than the calendar — the last spring frost moves by roughly two months between zone 3 and zone 10. The USA Garden Planner works from your zone so the timing is already decided before the season starts.

Get the USA Garden Planner →

Instant PDF download · Written for US growing conditions

SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

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 USDA hardiness-zone and frost-date data, with Cooperative Extension sources cited directly where one exists for a crop. 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.

Vegetable Growing Guides USA

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Last verified 2026-08-29

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