Icicle Radish

That’s Just One Of The Many Names Of This Peppery Root Veg Shaped Like An Oversized Carrot But White Like A Radish

- Jennifer Stackhouse

The daikon looks like a carrot with an identity crisis. These large white roots may resemble the more familiar vegetable but are bigger, more robust and white rather than orange, with larger, coarser leaves than the fine-leaved carrot. Daikons are also a lot larger and less tapered than parsnips.

Despite its similarities with these other root vegies, the daikon is more closely related to radish and both are members of the brassica family. Indeed, it’s sometimes called white radish.

As for the name daikon, it’s Japanese for “big root”. And these roots can get very big: a well-developed daikon can weigh in at over 500g and some varieties have hit the 20kg mark.

HOW TO GROW

Daikon is generally grown from seed planted in autumn or spring but can be grown year round in temperate and Mediterranean zones. In tropical zones it’s best grown in the dry season sow seeds between April and July.

Grow from seed sown directly into shallow furrows in the soil. Sow the seed around 1–2cm deep and 20cm apart in rows. To give the plants ample room, space rows about 30–40cm apart.