Early Daikon

• Daikons grow best in cool weather and stop root development during long summer days. Long days also trigger flowering in many varieties if planted in spring. Although most daikon radishes produce better if planted in late summer, some varieties grow well in the spring garden. "April Cross" hybrid radish resists bolting and grows icicle-shaped roots up to 16 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Roots reach harvest size about 60 days after an early spring planting. "Early 40" daikon grows to about 12 inches in length and produces well when planted in late spring. This daikon matures in about 40 days.
  
  

Fall Daikon

• Roots of some daikon varieties planted in late summer could grow for six months. Daikon taste best and have better texture if harvested before reaching maximum size. Fall-harvest choices include the heat- and disease-resistant hybrid "Minowase Summer Cross" daikon, recommended for late summer sowing. Roots reach lengths of 15 to 20 inches and diameters of 3 to 4 inches in about 50 days. Long daikon need deep, loose soil to grow properly, but turnip-shaped daikon such as "Shogoin Globe" adapt well to clay soil and ease the labor of harvesting. Shogoin Globe matures in 70 days, forming a rounded root 6 inches or more in diameter.
  
  

Unusual Daikon

• Growers hoping for daikon of record size should choose Sakurajima daikon, according to Kagoshima Prefecture's Agricultural Products website. Sakurajima often grows to 22 pounds but could swell to as much as 65 pounds. Sakurajima daikon holds a consistent texture and flavor when boiled and tastes best when harvested relatively small -- at 10 inches across. The round "Sakurajima Mammoth" radish requires 80 days to mature but keeps growing until a hard freeze. Grow Shinrimei radish, a Chinese variety, for a colorful addition to salads and cooked dishes. The round radish's white skin covers bright red flesh. In 60 days, Shinrimei, or "Beauty in the Heart," radish grows 4 inches in diameter.
  
  

Leaf Daikon

• All daikon produce rosettes of edible leaves, but the leaves of many varieties grow fibrous and develop prickly hairs. Leaf radishes produce a crop of delicious tender greens quickly. Growers pull the plants or slice off the root tops before roots enlarge. The hybrid "Four Season" radish yields a leaf crop in only 30 days, and grows year-round in areas with mild winters. Make succession plantings for a continuous supply of daikon greens for stir-fry and kimchi. Hybrid "Pearl Leaf" radish prefers cool weather in spring or fall, but tolerates dense plantings and gives large yields in small spaces.