Hello! Gees, we are already almost at the middle of October! Those fall gardening chores are still beckoning! Garden cleanup is either in high gear and all done. Did you get your garlic cloves planted and spring blooming bulbs in? Did you get a chance to separate and replant any of your perennials?

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. Well actually, horseradish can be harvested and replanted in any season, all with good results.

Horseradish is the white perennial root of a very invasive weedy herb that looks a lot like dock. It is also called mountain radish (that’s one really potent radish!), great raifort, or amoracia rusticana (almost sounds romantic!). Some gardeners claim that horseradish should be planted near potatoes to protect the potatoes from disease. It also helps deter potato beetles.

Horseradish is really good for clearing out the sinuses. One good whiff can open a stuffy head! 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. And it’s guaranteed to curl your eyebrows and put hair on your chest! 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. Horseradish also has antibiotic qualities. Back in the good old days, like in the Middle Ages, it was used for a whole bunch of stuff. Sometimes it worked; sometimes it didn’t!

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 then dig them up when needed.

One source claims that spring-harvested horseradish is the hottest. They say that horseradish should be planted in very early spring – like February or March. Gees, that’s still winter for us up here in the North Country! The ground is still frozen solid until at least May or June!

Another source says to replant some horseradish crowns in the fall as you harvest some for preparing. Another source – ME – says – WHENEVER! Whatever floats your boat!

Here are a few suggestions if you want to start a new horseradish patch or relocate the old one. Try to get some roots or crowns that are 8-9" long. Plan on using a metal drum section or a cut off plastic bucket to confine its growth. Plan on never ever getting out all of those horseradish roots. Even a tiny piece will start growing again and keep spreading. So never roto-till an old horse radish patch!

Soil pH should be neutral to slightly acidic; heavy, rich, moist soil works great. Till up the new 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 cause 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 to come very soon! Just remember not to grate up too much of that horseradish root all 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