How to grow Horseradish

Armoracia rusticana

A hardy perennial of the cabbage family grown for its pungent white roots. The leaves die down in autumn and regrow every spring, and the plant spreads from any piece of root left in the soil.

Quick facts

Type	Vegetable
Family	Brassicaceae
Light	Full sun
Soil pH	6–7.5
Frost	tolerates light frost
Soil for sowing	from 7 °C
Germination	14 days
Sowing to harvest	180 days
Where it grows	Open ground

When to plant

It tolerates light frost: sow straight into the bed about three weeks before your last spring frost.

The first harvest comes about 180 days after the shoots appear.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Growth	every 7 days	—	nitrogen, 14 days into the stage; nitrogen, 42 days into the stage
Harvest	—	—	—

Growing notes

Light

Best in full sun but tolerates partial shade.

Soil

Deep, fertile, well-drained soil rich in organic matter, pH 6–7.5. Light soil makes digging easier; in waterlogged soil the roots rot.

Care

Plant root cuttings in spring or autumn at a slant, with the top 5 cm below the surface and 30 cm apart. Water once a week, 25–50 mm, in dry weather; too little water makes the roots woody and weak in flavour, too much makes them soft. Feed a little nitrogen 4 and 8 weeks after planting; too much gives leaves and branched roots. Dig the roots in autumn after frost has killed the leaves, or in early spring. Grow it in a large container or a buried bottomless tub to stop it spreading.

Pests and diseases of Horseradish

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.