In today's homestead hangout I talk about a new seed delivery that includes something for those of you with challenging soil.

Watch the video, Unboxing Daikon Cover Crop Seeds, on YouTube.

What is daikon?

Daikon is a Japanese radish, a relative of the red radishes that you can buy at the grocery store. They have the same spicy flavor and can be used in cooking, but I purchased these to use in helping me build garden soil.

Why plant daikon?

Using cover crops can help build soil naturally. Daikon grow very long tap roots, similar to a carrot, but even bigger. My soil in the Pacific Northwest is really rocky; the daikon will help drill down into the rocky soil, helping loosen it. I have heard that daikon can also help in areas with heavy clay soil.

What do you plant with daikon?

To help build my soil from the surface down, I’ll also be adding winter rye and hairy vetch. This combination of three plants will help cover my soil during the winter rain and snow, open up networks in the hard ground, and in the spring when we till it or cut it down, the biomass will help provide green manure. Another important role of daikon and other crops is to fix nutrients, such as nitrogen, in the soil. This helps make those nutrients available for the plants that go in the ground next.

Have you ever planted daikon?