Get in touch
Questions about growing, workshops, the cooperative or partnerships? Send us a message and we will reply by email.
Prefer email? Write to erasmus@evec.org.gr
EVEC Microgreens
Radish microgreens: everything you need to know to grow them
Radish microgreens are the fastest and easiest to grow. Step by step: sowing, light, watering and days to harvest, plus their fresh, slightly spicy flavour.
Radish is one of the easiest and fastest microgreens to grow. Its flavor is strong, fresh, and slightly spicy, making it a perfect addition to salads, sandwiches, tacos, or as a gourmet garnish for your dishes. Plus, it germinates in just a few days and is ready to cut in 7 to 10 days, which is ideal if you want quick results. Like the other guides in this series, what follows covers the characteristics of the crop, a step by step method, and practical tips based on our own growing.
What you’ll need
- Radish seeds – You can easily find them in specialty stores or online. Common varieties are red radish, daikon, or watermelon radish.
- Growing trays – Flat and shallow, with and without drainage holes.
- Growing medium – Potting soil or coconut coir.
- Spray bottle or watering can
- Natural light or LED grow light – They grow stronger and more colorful with good lighting.
Step by step guide to growing radish microgreens
- Prepare the tray
Clean it thoroughly before using, with water and soap if necessary. - Add the growing medium
Fill with an even layer of soil or coconut coir and moisten it. - Sow the seeds
Spread the radish seeds evenly over the surface. They don’t need to be covered with soil. - Initial watering
Use a spray bottle to gently moisten without displacing the seeds. - Darkness period
Cover the tray with another tray turned upside down or a piece of opaque cardboard for 2–3 days. - Light and ventilation
When you see the first sprouts (usually on the second day), uncover and place the tray in a spot with good natural light or under LED grow lights. - Keep it moist
Mist once or twice a day so the substrate never dries out completely. - Harvest
In just 7–10 days, your radish microgreens will be ready. Cut them with clean scissors just above the soil and they’re ready to enjoy.
And that’s it!
Radish microgreens are not only visually appealing with their red stems and green leaves, but they’re also a nutritional powerhouse: they contain vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, plus calcium, iron, magnesium, and antioxidants. Perfect to add a fresh, spicy, and healthy touch to any dish.
Related: The science — the antioxidant capacity of radish microgreens
The science on radish
Studies from our Science Library that concern radish microgreens, in plain language with links to the original research. This list updates automatically as new studies are added.
No studies specific to this crop yet — browse the full Science Library.
Radish in the kitchen
Recipes and kitchen ideas from our cookbook team that use radish microgreens.
Growing a different crop next? Every variety has a guide like this one in the Varieties database.
The science behind this crop
Our research archive holds 68 peer-reviewed studies on radish microgreens. They are free to read and download, and each one credits its original authors.
- Evaluation of the Bioaccessibility of Antioxidant Bioactive Compounds and Minerals of Four Genotypes of Brassicaceae Microgreens — Foods, 2019
- Bioactive Composition and Nutritional Profile of Microgreens Cultivated in Thailand — Applied Sciences, 2021
- Evaluation of Growth Conditions, Antioxidant Potential, and Sensory Attributes of Six Diverse Microgreens Species — Agriculture, 2023
- Antiproliferative Effect of Bioaccessible Fractions of Four Brassicaceae Microgreens on Human Colon Cancer Cells Linked to Their Phytochemical Composition — Antioxidants, 2020
- Continuous LED Lighting Enhances Yield and Nutritional Value of Four Genotypes of Brassicaceae Microgreens — Plants, 2022
- Effect of Packaging and Coating Technique on Postharvest Quality and Shelf Life of Raphanus sativus L. and Hibiscus sabdariffa L. Microgreens — Foods, 2020
Explore the portal
This article is part of the free knowledge portal of EVEC Microgreens. Wherever you are on your microgreens journey, there is a path for you:
- 🌱 Grow microgreens at home — the full beginner path, free
- 📗 Crop guides — how to grow every species
- 💼 Turn microgreens into a business — and if you have no capital, our cooperative gives you free growing space
- 🏫 Teach with microgreens — free classroom materials
- 🔬 The Science Library — research explained in plain language
2 Comments
Leave a Reply
Co-funded by the European Union.
This portal presents the microgreens methodology; the organisation behind it is EVEC Athens — the European Voluntary and Educational Center (evec.org.gr). Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Open licence. Except where stated otherwise, the educational materials on this portal are licensed under CC BY 4.0 — free to use, adapt and share, including commercially, with credit. See the licence terms.
Accessibility. We aim for WCAG 2.1 AA and publish what does and does not yet meet it — see the accessibility statement. If anything here blocks you, tell us and we will send the material in a format that works for you.
[…] our series where we explain how to grow different types of microgreens. Last time, we talked about radish microgreens and discovered that they’re among the easiest and fastest to grow. This time, it’s broccoli’s […]
[…] qualities, nasturtium microgreens are still not as common on the market as other varieties such as radish, lettuce, or sunflower, which we have already discussed in previous […]