Anybody know anything about Horseradish?

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by silu, Feb 3, 2015.

  1. silu

    silu gardening easy...hmmm

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    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?! 003.JPG !
     
  2. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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    Oh Dear! Many decades ago we decided to grow horseradish in the veg plot. It grew well, and then someone told me that it can spread like mad and it's extremely difficult to get rid of. So we decided to dig it up.

    It took a year to get rid of it and we must have gone down about 15ft to be able to, finally, dig it all out.

    I didn't want to lose the opportunity of having fresh horseradish so planted bits of root all along the grass verge from our house and a quarter of a mile towards the village. So, when I need any horseradish I just wander up the road with my garden fork over my should and secateurs in my pocket.

    So, bits of root will usually grow without too much mollycoddling.

    Twenty years later most of the horseradish was lost when they decided to run a new gas main through the verge, but some has survived.

    Moral of the story: don't grow horseradish in the garden unless you can afford to let it run riot in a small area, but you need to keep it under some sort of control.
     
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    • Freddy

      Freddy Miserable git, well known for it

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      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.
       
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      • Freddy

        Freddy Miserable git, well known for it

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        @shiney , when you said this...
        I thought you were going to go on to say that it had overrun the village :biggrin:
         
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        • JWK

          JWK Gardener Staff Member

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          It is very invasive in a veg plot, it sends out runners that pop up a few feet away from the main plant in my garden. Pulling up a runner may leave a bit of root that grows again. So I did the same as Shiney, dug mine up and have dispersed it amongst neighbouring verges. You don't need much to make a powerful sauce!
           
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          • shiney

            shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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            The Day Of The Triffids!!!! :yikes: :runforhills:
             
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            • "M"

              "M" Total Gardener

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              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!! :hate-shocked: How poor at gardening can I be!? :doh: So, if you want it killing off ... send it to me ;) :roflol: :roflol: :roflol: :redface:
               
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              • silu

                silu gardening easy...hmmm

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                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:yikes:
                 
              • bigbore

                bigbore Super Gardener

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

                Cinnamon Super Gardener

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                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.
                 
              • shiney

                shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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                Actually, it went down much further but I've decided not to tell you that. :lunapic 130165696578242 5:
                 
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                • "M"

                  "M" Total Gardener

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

                  Trunky ...who nose about gardening

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

                  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.
                   
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                  • "M"

                    "M" Total Gardener

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                    :hate-shocked:
                    TMI!!!!

                    :heehee:

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

                      silu gardening easy...hmmm

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                      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.
                       
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