Growing Horseradish

Armoracia rusticana : Brassicaceae / the mustard or cabbage family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
P P P           P P P P

(Best months for growing Horseradish in Australia - temperate regions)

  • P = Plant crowns
  • Easy to grow. Plant root pieces. Best planted at soil temperatures between 50°F and 77°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 20 inches apart
  • Harvest in 16-24 weeks. Some improvement in flavour if left till after frost..
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Best kept separate

Your comments and tips

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26 Dec 15, Terry (Australia - temperate climate)
I live in inner city Sydney and planted horseradish in potting mix in a pot at the back of the pot section on my west-facing balcony in about June (?). I've pretty much left it alone except for an occasional water if it's been particularly dry. The leaves have grown well - they were pretty lush before though I've noticed now that they're a bit torn - whether this is from an insect or from a few hailstorms I'm not sure. Thing is... I have no idea when to harvest them. How do I know if they're ready to be pulled up and used? And can I just pull up one leaf/plant and leave the rest in the pot? Also, I'm experimenting now but I really want to have some fresh root available in March/April next year. Do I have to replant at a particular time? Can I leave the current plants in the pot until then? etc
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07 Oct 15, Mark (USA - Zone 5b climate)
To get the hottest flavor when preparing horseradish root: DO NOT add vinegar while grinding the root! If you're using a food processor, add water, just enough to get it to grind well. Once it is fully ground, let it sit for about 5 minutes. THEN add vinegar. During the 5 minutes, the horseradish (once ground) undergoes a chemical reaction that makes it much stronger. The reaction is (I believe) with water, triggered by breaking up the cells. Vinegar stops this reaction; if you do it too early, the heat never develops. But after a few minutes, without vinegar, the heat will start to fade, so you add vinegar
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29 Oct 15, Roy (Australia - temperate climate)
Good advice about when to add the vinegar Mark, do you have preference i.e malt, cider, wine red or white or maybe balsamic? I've been to the USA but apart from temperate and sub tropical I don't know about the zones like yours which is 4a please enlighten.
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16 Jul 15, Roy (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Judy,, so here was I looking for a recipe (another dish) when I came across this one for horseradish sauce but alas no mayonnaise. Horseradish sauce - Traditional Ingredients. 4tb Grated Horseradish 1tb Caster Sugar 1ts Salt 2 ts Mustard, English 1/2sp Pepper 4tb Single cream A little malt vinegar can be added though this is not recommended. Mix all in a bowl and stir anti-clockwise, and just my suggestion is to substitute the cream for mayonnaise,and I suppose that with most recipes certain ingredients can be left out and others added such as my beetroot and horseradish sauce I add some red wine vinegar. Hope this helps.
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01 Sep 15, Ben Jones (Australia - temperate climate)
best thing you can use horseradish for is horseradish mustard I have a excellent recipe that we have been making in the restaurant for years... But I can not seem to get any at the moment.
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26 Jun 15, Andrew (Australia - tropical climate)
Any way horseradish could be grown in Darwin?
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23 Jun 15, Franky (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
You should be able to get it in any reasonable garden centre around September,,seedlings are around $3
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20 Jun 15, Judy Hill (Australia - temperate climate)
Does anyone have a recipe to make horseradish cream or sauce. I had a very easy recipe made with mayonnaise and have lost it.
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14 Jun 15, Sheila (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, I am looking to grow horseradish but cannot find it anywhere, can anyone help me with this please?
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25 Feb 16, Stephen (Australia - tropical climate)
You wiĺl find it on eBay easy enough i found a supplier in Tasmania looks very good great info
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Showing 131 - 140 of 339 comments
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Hi Catherine, I use to mix the horseradish with beetroot and use it as a salad next to grilled steak or sausages. It is delicious! Ingredients: 3-4 small beetroots 1 small horseradish root Salt Splash of vinegar (optional – don’t use if using horseradish from a jar as it normally already contains vinegar) Mustard seeds (optional) Cumin seeds (optional) Method: 1. Rinse any mud off the beetroots and put them in a saucepan (metal is best; it might stain enamel) and cover them with water. 2. Bring the water to the boil and leave to boil for 30-40 minutes. 3. Drain the now very purple boiled water from the pan and refill with cold water and allow the beetroots to cool enough to be handled. 4. Clean off the skin (you should now be able to rub it off with your fingers, but use the flat of a knife to scrap it off if you like) and trim off any roots or stem stubs. (You can bake the beetroot and it will be more tasty and healthy) 5. Cut up the beetroots – you can grate it, julienne it, cube it, slice it...whatever you prefer. 6. In a separate bowl finely grate the horseradish. Be a bit careful here if you’ve never grated horseradish before as it’s tremendously powerful – I recommend you don’t hold your head over the bowl whilst grating it! 7. Teaspoon by teaspoon, add the horseradish to the beetroot and taste until you reach a combination you like. Don’t just throw it all in at once because if it’s too strong it’s hard to correct. Horseradish from the jar normally isn’t as powerful as fresh horseradish so you might need a few extra teaspoons. If you have any horseradish left over, put it in a small jar with some salt and vinegar and keep it for a dressing next time you prepare some beef or lamb. 8. Check the seasoning and add some salt and a splash of vinegar if you feel it needs it. 9. You can, at this point, add some mustard seeds (about a heaped teaspoon) or a sprinkle of cumin if you like these flavours. Mustard seeds aren’t so strong but be a little careful with the cumin as it can overpower. 10. Serve! Enjoy!

- Vali

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