Horseradish

Plant family

Crucifers (Brassicaceae)

Season Overview

Details

Light requirement

Sunny

Water requirement

Wet

Soil

Light (sandy)

Nutrient requirement

Medium

Seeding 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

The seeds of horseradish are rare and mostly incapable of germination. Sowing them is not common here. Instead, you pull it from so-called Fechsern. These are the lateral roots of the thick main root. The fechser are planted diagonally at an angle of about 45°. It is best to plant it at the edge or outside of beds, because it is difficult to remove, and it already grows out again from small root parts. The soil should be deep. This will allow the root to grow unhindered. To stimulate growth, you can occasionally loosen the soil around the horseradish a little. Due to the rapid spread, cut away shoots (small leaves). 3-4 stems with leaves per plant is enough. Anything beyond that will sprawl. The growing season is one year. The best time to harvest in terms of flavor and size is after the first frost. Horseradish is also sensitive to high levels of salt in the soil.