The root is harvested as soon as possible after it reaches market size. The longer it remains in the soil afterwards, the less tasty it becomes. There is no problem of shattering in the harvest of radish seed, as the pods do not dehisce. The white to lilac cruciferous flowers are smaller and less showy than those of mustard or rape. He indicated that pollen receptivity of the flower was limited to a few hours of the day.
Honey bees are the most important agents in the pollination of the radish.
He cautioned that when colonies are not nearby, or when major honey-producing plants flower between the apiary and the radish field, many of the radish flowers are not visited by bees, pollination does not occur, and seed yields are reduced. He suggested renting colonies of honey bees if none are close by at radish flowering time. Although the number of colonies or units of bees per unit of blossoms has not been indicated, the relatively short length of time the flower is receptive and its relative unattractiveness would indicate that a higher population of bees might be necessary than the one or two colonies per acre mentioned for rape pollination.