Anybody know anything about Horseradish?

When we moved to my current home 12 years ago, in an area I didn't use there were some strange "herbaceous" plant with leaves which looked a bit like Dock. I didn't pay the slightest attention to the plant. Last year I decided to clear some of the area to make a veg plot. I pulled some of the strange leaves off the plant and immediately noticed a familiar aroma...Horseradish. "Oh good, I like Horseradish" so dug close to the plant and discovered a few roots about the size of pencils and used these to make lovely sauce.
This season I have decided to increase the veg plot which means I need to move The Horse radish and thought this task would take minutes. OMG it's enormous and I haven't found the end of the roots.
The photo is of only about half of what I've dug up so far (secateurs in the photo to give an idea of size).
Obviously the clump is at least 12 years old but could well be older? Does it grow and produce large roots quickly? Will the bits with growing tips regrow if I replant them?
I will have to freeze the vast majority as it will take me years to eat through what I've dug up/need to still dig up. Apart from making Horseradish sauce and adding it grated to coleslaw any other good recipes as I have a LOT?! !

 

My late father used to keep a clump, in the verge at the side of his plot. The constant cultivation of the plot kept it under some sort of control. But yes, it's very invasive.

 

@shiney , when you said this...

I thought you were going to go on to say that it had overrun the village

 

No personal ones (sorry) but you might find inspiration on the BBC Food website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/search?keywords=horseradish


As far as growing it is concerned, I bought a piece of root from a Poundshop when I moved into my last house and was warned it can be an invasive little devil ... but, I went ahead with it anyway. It never grew!! How poor at gardening can I be!? So, if you want it killing off ... send it to me

 

Gawd, Sounds like my extended veg patch is going to have remnants of Horseradish in it despite my best efforts. Thanks all for your replies altho I'm not sure I wanted to know that the roots can go down 15 ft+++ Shiney

 

we had a whole plot full of it on our allotments, we never could get anyone to take it on

 

Ha, I just bought a root from Wilko as the roots for eating are £2 and I don't think the person I know has some would like me digging up their riverbank when I fancied a chunk. It's in a pot at the moment as it was sprouting and the ground was frozen. I was thinking of growing it in a large container. Figured it was one plant I wouldn't have to worry about killing. Maybe that's untrue.

 

You should be fine I wasn't a member of GC at that point so had brown fingers then

 

I used to have that problem. Nothing to do with gardening, just using cheap toilet paper.

Back on topic, like most perennial weeds, horseradish can be beaten by sheer persistence.

Once you've dug out as much root as you can, any shoots which appear over the spring/summer must be chopped off or dug out straight away. If you keep doing this for long enough, you will eventually defeat it.

You could also plant the area with a fast growing crop which will cover the ground and deprive any new shoots of light, such as potatoes or pumpkins.

 

TMI!!!!

AHA! *Now* I know why mine didn't grow I planted it next to another "invasive" plant ... Jerusalem artichokes You live and learn: thanks Trunky (albeit 4 years too late )

 

Post tears, tantrum and an enormous glass of wine I am furious that it shouldn't be a requirement that this wretched stuff isn't a notifiable weed!

I have been digging for 5 hours, lifted 4, yes 4 builders barrow loads of roots and nowhere near getting to the "root of the problem" ha ha!! I can visualise Shiney's big fat grin from here!

Does Horseradish make a good companion plant for any vegetables? (this asked in hope). What weedkiller if any will rid me of this demon? Does anybody have the phone number of Colemans as they might be interested in taking the vast quantities I have?

I am about to give in and choose another spot for my new veg plot. Pest as where the Horseradish is growing is sheltered south facing and close to a water supply, grrr.

How do you think veg would fair in pure garden compost with or without rotted horse manure? I have a huge heap of garden compost and hillock of manure.I was wondering if I could make a sort of raised bed with either and or both in another part of the garden. It would be very hard work to start digging up and moving topsoil about as I had planned for a bed of about 6x6mtrs with a path down the middle.