Horseradish

Plant family

Crucifers (Brassicaceae)

Season Overview

Details

Light requirement

Sunny

Water requirement

Moist

Soil

Light (sandy)

Nutrient requirement

Medium

Plant distance

60 cm

Row spacing

60 cm

Seeding depth

15 cm

Instructions

Description

Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) belongs to the cruciferous family (Brassicaceae) and is called horseradish in Austria. The imposing perennial plant has large leaves and thick, cylindrical taproots. We like its pungent, 30-40 cm long roots as a spice or vegetable. As a perennial, hardy plant, it thrives in almost all soils and locations.

Growing tips

Horseradish seeds are rare and usually unable to germinate. Sowing is not common here. Instead, you grow it from so-called fencers. These are the lateral roots of the thick main root. The fencers are planted at an angle of approx. 45°. It is best planted at the edge or outside of beds, as it is difficult to remove and already grows out again from small root sections. The soil should be deep. This allows the roots to grow unhindered. To stimulate growth, you can occasionally loosen the soil around the horseradish. Shoots (small leaves) are cut away due to the rapid spread. 3-4 stems with leaves per plant are sufficient. Anything above this will sprawl. The growing season is one year. The best time to harvest in terms of aroma and size is after the first frost. Horseradish is also sensitive to high salt levels in the soil.