The Gardeners Almanac

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Mooli

Common name: Winter Radish

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Week Numbers

Seed sowing

Overview:

Harvested White Mooli roots

Mooli Roots

The flavour of winter radish or mooli radish as it is sometimes known, is pleasantly peppery and adds some zest into stir-fries or salads.


The pale creamy-white carrot like tapered roots, grow up to 300mm (12") long.

Like carrots, they grow best in stone free well drained humus rich soil, that is in a sunny position.


Cultivation:

Week 25-30:

Seed sown in Continuous row

Sown in a continuous row

 Seeds sown in pinches

Station Sowing

Sow pinches of seeds 100-150mm (4"-6”) apart along the row in drills 250mm (10") apart.

Once germinated thin the plants to one radish per station 50-100mm (2"-4") apart.


Note: Make successional sowings at three to four week intervals.


Harvesting:

Harvest young, or leave to mature for hotter more peppery roots.

Leaving them in the ground until they have been subjected to a mild frost can also improve the taste.

If particularly cold weather threatens, lift the crop and clean off any soil then store the roots in slightly moist sand in a cool, frost-free place.

Hard frosts, will freeze the flesh and cause it to turn to an inedible pulp when thawed.