Organic Fodder radish seeds, green manure

Organic Fodder Radish, of the oleiferous type, is an excellent green manure for the vegetable garden as well as for small orchards. It germinates within a few days, quickly forms a carpet of greenery, and produces an abundant standing crop. Its taproot seeks water and nutrients deep down, improves soil aeration and limits nitrate leaching. Honey-producing and well-suited to temperate climates, its flowers feed bees, and its vegetation prepares the ground for hungry vegetables.

The Fodder Radish belongs to the Brassicaceae family, like cabbages and mustards. Its botanical name is Raphanus sativus var. oleiformis, with synonyms Raphanus sativus convar. oleifer, Raphanus sativus subsp. oleiferus and Raphanus sativus var. oleifera. It is a cultivated radish of Mediterranean origin, resulting from the long domestication of the radish between the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Asia, now widely distributed in temperate regions.

In the garden, it is an annual herbaceous plant with a short cycle of 60 to 80 days. It begins by forming a rosette of large, bright green, quite broad, slightly rough and deeply cut leaves, then sends up erect stems bearing white to lilac, small but very nectar-rich flowers. The root is a powerful taproot which goes deep into the soil and cracks it. The plant reaches 60 to 90cm in height and 30 to 40cm in width, with dense foliage that covers the ground well. Frost-sensitive, it disappears in winter, leaving loose soil rich in organic matter. Compared to table radishes, the fodder radish develops much more foliage and a less fleshy, more fibrous root, which makes it primarily a soil-improvement and fodder plant.

In the vegetable garden, Organic Fodder Radish is mainly used as a green manure, sown as a catch crop or along the edges of beds. It is sown densely, then mown before it goes to seed to mulch the soil or lightly dig it in. It prepares the soil for a future row of carrots. It can also be inserted into a rotation with 'Crapaudine' Beetroot, an old French variety with fine flesh, which benefits from well-structured soil. Crisp salads, such as 'All The Year Round' Lettuce, appreciate a growing bed enriched by this radish. If you want to attract pollinators to the vegetable garden, pair it with Organic Phacelia.

From a nutritional standpoint, it shares the nutritional qualities of other radishes: roots and foliage are low in calories, rich in water, vitamin C and the sulphur compounds typical of crucifers, which give them their pungent flavour.

In the kitchen: its young leaves can be used in leaf-top soups, green purées, pestos and stir-fries with potatoes or other root vegetables. The small roots, harvested young, can be grated into salads or prepared as pickles, a bit like black radishes or daikons.

A bit of history: the radish was cultivated in the Mediterranean and ancient Egypt for its root and for an oil extracted from the seeds; the fodder radish today stands as a versatile service plant, used in farming, organic gardening and waste-free cooking.