🥕 Mooli (daikon)

Mooli, or daikon, is a giant white winter radish with a crisp, juicy, mildly peppery flesh. It is easy and quick, produces roots up to 40 cm long, and sown in late summer, provides autumn and winter crops when most radishes have finished.

Mooli is milder than the small red radishes and is used raw and cooked in Asian cuisine. Sown in spring it tends to bolt, so late summer is the best time. The seed pods and young leaves are also edible.

Varieties to try

Mooli (the usual seed packet name)Minowase (long, white, reliable)April Cross (bolt-resistant)Mantanghong (watermelon radish, pink inside)

Sow from July to August, 1 cm deep, directly into light, fertile, moisture-retentive, stone-free soil in sun or partial shade. Space rows 30 cm apart and thin seedlings to 15–20 cm apart. Sowing in spring risks bolting, so wait until after midsummer.

Mooli can also be grown in deep containers (30 cm or more). Water the drill before sowing, and cover with fine mesh to protect from flea beetle. Sow a short row every two weeks to spread the crop.

Top tips

• Sow after midsummer.
• Use fine mesh against flea beetle.
• Thin to 15–20 cm.
• Choose a deep, stone-free bed.

Keep the soil moist, since irregular watering causes cracked, woody roots and bolting. Weed carefully, and earth up the shoulders of roots exposed above the soil to prevent greening.

Flea beetle is the main pest, leaving tiny holes in leaves, especially on young plants. Slugs may also bite roots. Fine mesh is the best protection. As a brassica, it should be rotated with the cabbage family.

Top tips

• Water regularly and evenly.
• Cover with fine mesh.
• Rotate with other brassicas.
• Earth up exposed roots.

Watch out for

Flea beetleSlugsCabbage root flyBolting from spring sowing

Pull roots 8–10 weeks after sowing, when they are 20–30 cm long and about 5 cm wide, from October onwards. Loosen the soil with a fork first if the soil is firm. Roots left in the ground too long turn woody and hot.

In mild areas, roots can stay in the ground over winter under straw, but lift before hard frosts. Pull the tender leaves for use as greens.

Top tips

• Pull while roots are young.
• Loosen soil with a fork first.
• Lift before hard frosts.
• Use the leaves as greens.

Eat mooli raw, grated in salads and slaws, sliced into sticks for dips, or pickled in Japanese and Korean styles. Cook in soups, stews, stir-fries and braises, where it turns sweet and tender. Grated mooli is a classic with sushi and tempura.

Roots keep for 1–2 weeks in the fridge. Pickle in vinegar and sugar or ferment as kimchi for long storage. Dry slices in a low oven to make crisp chips.

Top tips

• Pickle or ferment surplus roots.
• Grate raw into salads.
• Add to soups and stews.
• Peel older roots.