Horseradish

Mostly seen as ‘Old Fashioned’ the Horseradish plant is making a big comeback as a culinary herb. Its finds its way onto the table at Christmas, and is now more widely found in restaurants where its warming qualities are appreciated more and more. It is also being used as a flavouring in sausages,  so the old fashioned herb now has a new lease of life.

Like most herbs, fresh is best, and this is an easy one to grow.

Horseradish plants or ‘Armoracia rusticana’ is a root vegetable that is used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Growing Horseradish is not difficult and plants can be grown from tubers or roots. It can be grown from seed however they are difficult to obtain. Horseradish cream is used widely with Roast Beef. Claimed medicinal and therapeutic uses include as a poultice for infections, arthritis and pleurisy.

We remember digging horseradish on sunday mornings, my grandmother grew it, sort of wild at the side of the compost pile. It thrived, she made a hot horseradish sauce to go with roast beef, at the time all of the kids hated it, my cousins refused to even pick it. Things change, we now like it.

Horseradish grows well from spring to early summer and is easy to grow, in fact it can tend to be a bit of a weed if not kept under control.

How to Grow Horseradish Plants

If you are wondering How to grow Horseradish, its simple, this is a very easy plant to grow.

Horseradish or ‘Armoracia rusticana’ is a root vegetable that is used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Horseradish cream is used widely with Roast Beef. Claimed medicinal and therapeutic uses of horseradish are many including as a poultice for infections, arthritis and pleurisy

Care

Grown from root cuttings simply plant around 30cm apart. If you get a section of root you can simply look for growing nodes and cut into 6 – 7 cm pieces.

Usually ready to harvest in 3 months from planting. Dig up what you need and replant the rest.

BEWARE

Horseradish is a garden thug, it will spread. We suggest sinking half of an old rubbish bin into the ground, with its bottom removed. Don’t worry to much about soil or position, because it will not. Simply plant it and away it goes. Dig as needed, its not something you will find for sale in the local supermarket.

Growing horseradish

‘Armoracia rusticana’ or Horseradish is very easy to grow, it flowers in spring or early summer and in fact it can tend to be a bit of a weed if not kept under control.

• You can buy the crowns, or even better just get a piece from a neighbour. What you are after is a root cutting around 6cm long.
• Root cuttings are simply planted in the garden at around 3cm deep. You can start them off in containers if you wish.
• Keep the cutting moist but not wet until new growth appears.
• Leave for around 4 weeks after new growth commences before transplanting.
•  It will reach around 1.m in height, however it is the fleshy tap root that is the part we are after.
• We suggest when growing this in the home garden at you consider sinking half of an old rubbish bin into the ground, with its bottom removed. Don’t worry to much about soil or position, because it will not

You can buy Horseradish plants and seeds from the following suppliers