A day in the life of a radish farmer
Farmer Scott Watson tells us about growing this peppery summer staple, and how you can easily grow your own.
Radishes have been grown at Feltwell Farm in West Norfolk since the 1980s. I’ve been here for most of my working life and became farm manager in 2005. Feltwell is one of the biggest areas dedicated to growing radishes in the UK – around 406 hectares.
Up with the lark
My working day begins at around 5am. There is a lot of organising to do each morning before the team gets into the fields. At this mid-way stage in the season I’m responsible for a team of 40 staff – and it’s important that everyone knows the plan for the day ahead.
Operations begin at around 7am. I walk around the fields checking that the yields are on track and that everything is running smoothly. It’s at this point that I might help myself to a handful of the radishes as a mid-morning snack. French Breakfast is my favourite variety. I eat them straight from the field – give them a bit of a dust-off and they’re perfect.
Moving on from field to the factory, I check the quality of the wash-line and take the opportunity to do some number crunching. I sold 150 tonnes of radishes last week, so I need to ensure the stock levels are in order. I can normally pre-empt how much the supermarkets are going to want, depending on the weather and time of year. As soon as the sun makes an appearance and everyone fires up their barbeques, orders go sky-high!
Planning, planning and yet more planning
I spend my evenings planning for the following day. Radishes are an ideal crop for our location as the rich black fen soil is naturally very fertile and retains moisture well. However this doesn’t mean we’re not at the mercy of the English weather!
Because radishes have a very short crop rotation – only four weeks – timing is everything and therefore planning is a vital part of my job. This involves an element of gambling – mainly on what the weather is going to do. The incessant rain last month was a real challenge, as we have to be out in the fields at least 5-6 days every week. As soon as we knew the rain was going to clear, we had to be ready to get out there – night or day.
Top tips for growing… and eating!
Radishes are a great vegetable to grow at home as you don’t need much space and you get to taste the rewards of your labour after only a few weeks. Your choice of soil is important – make sure you choose something well-draining, and be sure to water regularly.
It’s a shame that some people only see radishes as a ‘bit on the side’ as they can be so much more. They are an ideal snack and are surprisingly good to cook with – especially in Asian food. Visit the Love Radish website for inspiration.
Recipes featuring radishes
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