University of Vermont Extension
Department of Plant and Soil Science
Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension
University of Vermont
If you’re like me and
like to use horseradish in cooking (seafood to me is a great excuse
to use lots
of cocktail sauce with horseradish), you might consider growing your
own. If you’re new to gardening, or don’t have a
green thumb, also consider growing this easy root crop. Actually,
you don’t really grow this
vegetable as it grows pretty much by itself.
To avoid problems, keep a few points in mind when planting
in your garden.
Consider not even planting horseradish
in your garden, but rather outside in its own plot. Once
established, plants can become large and
spread aggressively into colonies.
Digging out roots, you are bound to miss some or leave some pieces,
of which can sprout into a new plant.
Or, you can grow it in a large container.
Horseradish is a hardy perennial,
coming back from the roots each year, related to mustard and
cabbage. Said to be native to Russia and eastern
Europe, it has been grown in northern Europe for many centuries. It
has been popular in England since the late
1600’s, and it is from there that horseradish was brought to
is not fussy, growing in most soils as long as they are not
wet. It grows best in full sun, but will
tolerate a few hours of shade per day.
Since it is so vigorous, it doesn’t need additional encouragement
fertilizer. Some compost worked into the
soil at planting, and then composted manure spread around plants as
starts each spring, is all that is needed.
start horseradish from root cuttings (pieces of the root), not
seeds. If you know someone already growing this
crop, get a piece from them. Otherwise,
you can buy roots in spring at many full service garden stores.
When buying roots, one end will be cut on a
slant which is the end you place down in the soil (they like to be
the right side up). If transplanting
from a friend’s garden, make sure to cut the bottom of the 4- to
cutting on a slant the same way.
Often you obtain horseradish roots to
plant as just that, unnamed. If they
grow broad, crinkled leaves they are the common type, but if they
narrower, smooth leaves they are the Bohemian type. They’re also
grouped by the shape of the leaf
bases, type I being heart-shaped, type III being tapered, and type
II being in
between. A couple of cultivars you may
find are ‘Big Top’ (smooth, type I) or ‘Maliner Kren’ (crinkled,
Unless you plan to use lots of
horseradish, only a few plants should be sufficient (they are often
packages of 5). Make sure soil is weeded
prior to planting. Dig a hole or trench,
placing the root (slanted side down) in at a 45-degree angle so new
grow straight down and not get tangled.
The top, or flat end, should be one to two inches below the soil
when you’re done. If planting several
roots, space 18- to 24-inches apart.
Keep the soil moist until plants
start growing, and again late in the season when they are doing most
growing. Water during long, drought
periods too. Mulch helps control weeds
and conserve soil moisture. Tempting as
it may be, don’t harvest the first year in order for plants to
roots. You can begin harvest the second
fall, after the first frost.
To harvest, lift plants gently,
loosening the soil with a garden fork.
Remove some of the smaller sideshoots to replant. Discard roots
over 3 years old as they become
tough. Cut tops off the roots to store,
and use a brush to remove most of the soil.
Then store like carrots in a root cellar or cool
non-freezing area in damp sand (or similar), or in perforated
plastic bags in a
refrigerator crisper. They’ll usually
keep for up to 3 months.
To use horseradish root, wash and
peel, then grind or grate and jump back to avoid being knocked over
fumes! Grate outdoors or in a
well-ventilated area if possible. Another
method is to place peeled pieces in a grinder or blender with a
small amount of
water and a couple ice cubes. Since
adding vinegar or lemon juice stops the enzyme process that gives
its heat and bite, adding one of these immediately will give a
sauce. Wait up to 3 minutes to add
vinegar for a hotter sauce. Use 2 to 3
tablespoons of vinegar, and one-half teaspoon of salt, per cup of
final sauce. Excess sauce can be frozen. Make sure not to serve in
silverware, as it
will blacken in contact with horseradish.
In addition to adding fresh
horseradish to ketchup for cocktail sauce, add horseradish to
to use with meat dishes. Add to sour
cream with herbs for a vegetable dip. More
on uses can be found from the Horseradish Information Council
(www.horseradish.org). More on growing this easy crop, as well as
facts and history, can be found from the International Herb
it was named Herb of the Year for 2011 (iherb.org).