How to Grow Hot Horseradish

It’s tough to beat the sinus-clearing zing of fresh horseradish. For the best soups, sauces, dips and everything in between, see how easy it is to bring this vigorous and flavorful perennial to your garden:

 Horseradish root divisions arrive in mid- to late-January and are planted through February in our area. You’ll find the crowns packaged in a bit of peat to keep them fresh. The growing end will likely have just a few green sprouts:

Be sure to plant is somewhere it will have room to multiply. It will spread readily and tolerate less-than-ideal conditions, so plan accordingly. If you want to better control where your horseradish grows, plant it in containers. Its foliage looks lovely when combined with cool season color such as pansies and violas.

Here, we’ve selected a patch of ground outside of the vegetable garden where nothing else is–or will be–planted. For a package of two root divisions, we’ve prepped about six square feet of space and amended the native soil with organic compost to about 10″ deep. 

The root divisions are planted up to about .5″ to 1″ from the sprouting tip, leaving these well above ground so that the foliage can begin sprouting to nourish the root growth. 

You can mulch afterward with straw or pinestraw or any good organic material; be sure that it’s kept away from the root divisions so that it’s not promoting rot:

While root divisions are planted in February, in late summer through late fall, you can dig up and harvest some of the roots and then simply replant the crown.

To prepare horseradish, peel the harvested roots like you would a carrot, then then place the “meat” in a food processor with a bit of vinegar and process. You’ll be adding it to everything from mashed potatoes to hearty gravies and herb-crusted tenderloin or salmon. 

Check out our events page here and see some of our favorite horseradish recipes on our February Food Garden Pinterest page, here. Get yours before they’re gone!