Hello! We are now in the tail end of autumn. Those fall gardening chores are still beckoning!
Garden cleanup has begun. Garlic is getting planted; spring blooming bulbs are getting set in.
Some perennials are being separated and replanted; others are getting dug up and brought in for those long winter months ahead.

Horseradish is one of those hardy perennials found in some traditional gardens. The planting guides out there are pretty much divided on whether to fall plant or spring plant those horseradish crowns. Actually, it can be harvested and replanted any season, all with good results.

Horseradish is the white perennial root of an invasive weedy herb that looks a lot like dock. It is also called mountain radish, great raifort, or amoracia rusticana. Folklore claims that horseradish should be planted near potatoes to protect the potatoes from disease. It also deters potato beetles.

Horseradish is really good for clearing out the sinuses. One good whiff can open a stuffy head! And it is reputed to promote good digestion. The young leaves can be used in salads, but the plant is better known for its white, fleshy, pungent tap root. This root is peeled and then grated and eaten raw with meat or fish dishes. It can also be grated and used in coleslaws and mayonnaise-based sauces and dips.
Of course, one should always have a gallon of cold water available to put out the fire!

This fresh horseradish root contains significant amounts of calcium, sodium, magnesium, and enough vitamin C to prevent scurvy. Actually, it has more vitamin C than lemons and oranges!

Horseradish also has antibiotic qualities. Back in the good old days, like in the Middle Ages, it was applied as a plaster or poultice to treat sciatica, gout, rheumatism, chest complaints, circulation problems and joint pains. But before you reach for some of this super potent stuff to slap on that sore knee, a word of caution. This hot stuff may cause inflammation, or skin blisters, or it can affect the thyroid gland. So, user - beware!!

At any rate, fall is the best time to harvest horseradish roots, generally after a hard frost. Simply dig them up with a long-bladed tree spade. (Try to get the whole root system out, because even the smallest section left in the ground has the potential of growing and spreading!) Then you can store them in buckets of damp sand in a cool root cellar. Or you can scrub them up and pop them into a perforated plastic bag or even a paper bag and store them in your fridge. Or, you can even leave them right in the ground, mulch them for the winter and dig them up when needed.

Here are a few suggestions if you want to start a new horseradish patch or relocate the old one. Try to get some local or mail order roots or crowns that are 8-9" long. The grocery store stuff may have been specially bred for shelf sitting, and may be too dried out and tasteless. Plan on using a metal drum section or a cut off plastic bucket to confine it growth. Soil pH should be neutral to slightly acidic; heavy, rich, moist soil works great.

Till up the planting section 18-24" deep. Add lots of rich compost and well-rotted manure. Plant straight young roots on a 45-degree angle or horizontally. Make sure the crown, or growing point, is 3-5" below the soil surface.

Roots should be 12-18" apart. Rocks and heavy nitrogen will case the roots to fork instead of growing long and straight, so keep the planting area rock-free and stay away from high nitrogen fertilizers.
Lay down a generous layer of mulch to prevent winter heaving.

So good luck with harvesting those horseradish roots. This potent herb will surely warm more than the cockles of your heart on those cold winter nights!

Just remember not to grate up too much of that horseradish root at once, since the grated stuff has a tendency to lose some of it potency over time.
This may not be a really bad thing!

Hey, Remember – Eat Smart New York!

And – Bye – Talk to you soon!
D