Daikon documentary started in 2021; updated 4/9/26: Oviedo, Florida, USA
This is my on-going plant documentary on growing different varieties of daikon. I do sell daikon seeds.
General Information About Growing Daikons
What is daikon? Daikon is a white radish used in many Asian cuisines. All parts of a daikon which include the root, petiole (stem), and leaves are edible. The edible leaves are commonly sautéed or steamed to dip with a sauce. Its true value is the root.
Are all “daikons” the same? No, not all “daikons” are the same. There are many varieties of daikon radishes. The size, shape, and texture also varies from one variety to another. Some daikon varieties are crunchier and are recommended for use in making Korean radish kim chi and Vietnamese pickled daikon, while some varieties are better for braising and stewing. Some daikon varieties have some kind of hairy fuzz on its leaves that make it not easy to harvest and make my skin itchy while some varieties have smooth leaves that doesn’t have the fuzz on it.
Growing method and when to grow daikon: Grow from seeds! I sell the daikon seeds as part of my $1 seeds for sale inventory to promote and help out urban gardeners on a budget like me. Refer to my “Seeds for Sale Inventory” post in the Shop tab. Each seed packet contains 30 to 100 seeds depending on variety. Daikons are cool-weather and frost-hardy crops, so sow the seeds when weather is cool or warm, but not hot.
Direct sowing, thinning, and spacing: I prefer to direct sow daikon seeds in my raised beds. Giving each daikon seedling an adequate amount of spacing of 6-inches or a hand space apart will promote a decent size daikon at maturity. The healthy mature size and length of daikon depends on what variety a gardener is growing. Other factors that may affect the mature size and length of daikon include lack of sunlight, watering, and spacing. Pictured are my Green Shoulder Hybrid Korean daikons with two seedlings growing together. I forgot to thin them out so their maturity size are not what I had hoped for.
Daikon Varieties That I Grow and Review
- D1. Altari F1 Korean daikon (new for 2026)
- D2. Minowase daikon
- D3. Green Shoulder F1 Korean daikon
- D4. Formosa Giant daikon
- D5. Autumn Korean daikon
- D6. Shirahime Hatsuka Japanese daikon
- Daikon varieties I have tested and discontinued growing in my garden: Wakayama Japanese daikon
D1. Altari F1 Korean daikon (my favorite)
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- Description: Altari F1 Korean daikon
- Days to maturity: 45 – 55 days
- Mature size: Altari F1 mature size is about five to six inches long with diameter of about 3 to 4 inches wide with a tap root that extends about 4 inches down.
- Result: Keeper in my garden, for picking and stewing, great of container or raised bed gardening that are 12-inches deep
- Germination rate: 100% tested in February 2026
D2. Minowase daikon
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- Description: Minowase daikon is a common daikon sold at the Chinese/Korean markets because it is commonly use for strewing. I don’t use this for kim chi because it is not firm and crunchy enough. Minowase daikon seems to hold more water.
- Days to maturity:
- Mature size: Given the right amount of watering, and depth of rich soil for the root go grow, Minowase daikon can grow as long as 2 feet long with diameter of about 4-inches wide.
- Result: Keeper in my garden, great for stewing
- Germination rate: 90% tested in October 2025
D3. Green Shoulder F1 Korean Radish
- Description:
- Days to maturity:
- Mature size:
- Result: Keeper in my garden, great for pickling and kim chi
- Germination rate: 90% tested fall 2024
D4. Giant Formosa Daikon
- Description:
- Days to maturity:
- Mature size:
- Result: need to grow again, I lost track of what variety I was growing
- Result:
- Germination rate: TBA
D6. Shirahime Hatsuka Daikon
- Description: Shirahime Hatsuka is a Japanese petite daikon variety. This variety is great to make Korean radish kimchi. It has a 30 days to maturity making it ideal for kids learn to grow and harvest in a short amount of time. I grow this daikon variety with 6-inch deep potting mix in ground and in pots.
- Days to maturity:
- Mature size: The mature size is about 4-inches long with a 1 to 2-inch diameter.
- Result: Keeper in my garden, great for pickling
- Germination rate: 100% tested in Oct. 2024
Note: I am not a scientist or a botanist, I do not talk about the scientific facts and details about any plants I grow unless I find a trust-worthy source for my work citation. You will need to find a reliable source for such information. Don’t believe the facts unless it is coming from an accredited source since nowadays I noticed people will make up and lie or make false assumptions just about anything to market their sales. A professional writer or author will definitely provide a work citation to back up any scientific statement.
