How to Grow Horseradish

Are you a fan of horseradish? If so, why not try growing your own? Horseradish is remarkably easy to grow, easy to harvest and tastes fantastic making it a great choice for any garden big or small. Ready to get started? Here are some tips on how to grow horseradish.

Unlike a lot of plants that are grown from seed, horseradish is almost always grown from a root cutting. Sometimes local nurseries will carry horseradish roots, but depending on where you live you may need to order them online. Even better, if you have a friend or neighbor who already grows it in their garden take a root cutting from one of their plants.

No matter how you come by your roots, you should plant them as soon as you get them. Horseradish should be planted in the early spring as soon as the soil can be worked. If you prefer you can also plant it in the late fall so it is ready to come up first thing in the spring.

It is a hardy plant and can grow quickly, so you may want to plant it out of the way in a corner of your yard or even in its own deep container or raised bed planter.

Start by tilling or turning the soil to a depth of at least 12 inches. Remove any rocks or debris from the soil and add compost to feed the roots.

Plant the roots 10-15 inches apart. Start by digging a hole deeper than the root. Place the root standing upright with the narrow end pointing down and fill around it until the crown is just showing at the surface of the soil.

Horseradish is easy to grow so once you have it planted there isn't much else that you need to do. If you want you can mulch around it which will help the soil to retain moisture and will also help to control weeds. However, if you want you can skip the mulching since it isn't really necessary. Since it is a perennial it will come back year after year once you do your initial planting.

The horseradish can be harvested any time after about the middle of summer. For the best, most pungent flavor, though, you should wait to harvest until after the first frost in the fall.

Easy to grow, great tasting and easy to care for, horseradish is a great choice for just about any style of garden.