Question Horseradish anyone?

[Nick Frank]

So we used to grow horseradish when we lived in America. Its much stronger and the taste was always much better than store-bought. After seeing Mark's video on Ginger when it was posted it really triggered me to want to grow it again! I have been looking and when the video came up again as a suggestion for me, I knew I had to get back on this.

Since moving to Sydney I have struggled to find it as a root. I have only found it locally in a glass jar and its really poor quality.

Has anyone grown it here? How successful were you? Do you know where I can get some root to start?

Im really up for suggestions! Thanks!

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

I believe @daveb might have grown radish in his hydrophonics.
@JP 1983 has an awesome radish kimchi recipe [Click Here].
@Lunai and @DThille have grown radishes, but they are in colder climates (Lunai is in Germany for example).

Personally, I haven't grown radishes. But I would recommend growing a couple of different species, not just to find out what grows well in your new climate, but also what tastes good.

 

[daveb]

nope never tried Full growth of horse radish in hydroponics other then to propagate new cutting to rooted transplantable starters it is one i think would be a very viable plant for aeroponics where the nutrient and water is sprayed in an enclose area as a fine mist to moisten the roots and feed the plant.
One key point in horse radish is to gather when the roots are not excessive in size the patch i have down back i let get to about the size between a quarter to a half dollar in size at crown any bigger and the larger roots tend to loose some of that bite, after i start cutting i place then in a nice looses loamy soil with plenty of sand and compost added.
but i think i do seriously need to look at setting up a spray cabinet to try some indoors.


try Coffs harbour nursery NSW https://coffsharbournursery.com.au/

or Ceres permaculture in Victoria https://ceres.org.au/

maybe they can set you up with roots or a source for some

 

[Nick Frank]

Thank you guys!

Yeah I have a bit of experience growing horseradish. I was just back in the States back in June-Aug and my father had several large plants growing. It was lovely to see and again made me miss them. We used the previous years and some early harvests in a few meals and it was very nice.

How much do you grow a year if you dont mind me asking @daveb? Have you grown in pots?

I have looking in to hydroponics for other things like strawberries and some herbs but I am worried that if something goes wrong I will lose the entire crop. Not to get off topic but how much do you grow in hydroponic?

 

[daveb]

Thank you guys!

Yeah I have a bit of experience growing horseradish. I was just back in the States back in June-Aug and my father had several large plants growing. It was lovely to see and again made me miss them. We used the previous years and some early harvests in a few meals and it was very nice.

How much do you grow a year if you dont mind me asking @daveb? Have you grown in pots?

I have looking in to hydroponics for other things like strawberries and some herbs but I am worried that if something goes wrong I will lose the entire crop. Not to get off topic but how much do you grow in hydroponic?

i grow a fair amount recently expanded to some bed to assist a local food shelf supplement their lettuce and herbs. My original area i use personal started as a 30 x 54 inch area tucked in under the stairwell ( shown in my posts in the hydroponics & aquaponics threads, also in the Articles " hydroponics start "), plus a 24 x 48 inch bench with kratky set ups to the wall to left so a total of 52 plants, and then started a rework of area in loft above kitchen which got moved to a separate downstairs room with a total plant load there just under 800 plants.
i recently just started with strawberries , eggplant and a few new test of head lettuce a good company for you to look for their product downuder they source local ingredients is diamond special t and trace supplements from https://www.campbellsfert.com.au/

 

[DThille]

This thread showed up in my "what you missed" email...of course, every now and again @Mandy Onderwater uses my name in vain

I processed horseradish 2 or 3 weeks ago here and wanted to come on board to encourage you. Being in the middle of Canada (we got snow last week and it looks like it's here to stay for the season...a bit earlier than typical), I'm not of much use to you for a source. That said, as a reminder, horseradish is an incredibly tough plant. Those roots you've come across may very well be perfectly viable and could hydrate and become happy campers. Apparently they do prefer sandier soil, but we've had no issues growing them in our silty clay soil. Of course, it does make digging and cleaning up the roots a bit more challenging.

Our patch started when the neighbour found some years (decades?) ago in their travels (not many folks growing today, but many old farmyards have plants) and offered us a plant or two. No matter how much I harvest, I never get it all, so the plants are self-perpetuating. Recently I've been working on getting another patch established at our acreage...thus far the plants are alive, but not thriving. We transplanted more out there this year, so hopefully things will pick up.

I've never been fussy about size of root...yes, the bigger roots are woodier, but when digging in clay you take what you can get. The small flexible roots I just wash well, but the bigger ones get peeled as they develop a darker outer covering. In our experience I've found the older woodier roots to be stronger flavoured...if that's a correct observation, perhaps that's why the store-bought stuff tends to be milder (aside from being creamed)...smaller roots are easier to process which could lend themselves well to commercial practice.

One thing I do need to do is remember to dig them and process them a bit earlier in the year so that I can either open more windows or even do some of the work outside so fewer tears are generated (and sprayed onto the inside of my glasses).

So, I'm not much help relative to your questions, but forgive me as it isn't often I have a willing audience to listen to my blathering on about horseradish.

 

[daveb]

sadly that happening here also DT very few growing horseradish. Patch i have was there long before we moved inhere as a kid. and i have probably the last large patch of rhubarb also. House down the road a new family bought it and moved in thinking sections were weeds cut down and dug out the rhubarb did same to the horseradish but it keeps coming back a few here and there. a few others that have mowed over patches. some of the old standby plants are going away because new generation and city slickers come up here and buy up places

 

[JP 1983]

I don't grow horseradish (or any radishes, tbh - not enough space), but I would probably sub it for sea rocket if I couldn't find any - sea rocket grows on every beach in Oz now pretty much and tastes similar (same mustard family - I haven't tried sea rocket roots for comparison though, just the leaves and pods!)

 

[Grandmother Goose]

Looks like all the places I can think of that sell horseradish as a plant rather than as a food product are currently out of stock, probably stock them as a seasonal thing, but for one that I found: https://www.herbcottage.com.au/products/horseradish According to their website, they've got one left at time of my posting this comment, and can post Australia wide. If you miss out, maybe put yourself on the notification list for Daley's Fruit Nursery (https://www.daleysfruit.com.au/buy/horseradish-root.htm), as soon as they get in more horseradish stock they'll email you. Or ask around local social media gardening groups, surely there's a gardener in Sydney that has some horseradish root they can spare to share.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

This one says it's in stock;

Horseradish

An easy-to-grow root vegetable that’s perfect for adding a punch of flavour to your roast beef salads or for grating and blending with vinegar as a condiment. Plant in a container for ease of harvest and to contain plant spread. Propagate by root cuttings and division.

www.diggers.com.au

 

[nayday]

So we used to grow horseradish when we lived in America. Its much stronger and the taste was always much better than store-bought. After seeing Mark's video on Ginger when it was posted it really triggered me to want to grow it again! I have been looking and when the video came up again as a suggestion for me, I knew I had to get back on this.

Since moving to Sydney I have struggled to find it as a root. I have only found it locally in a glass jar and its really poor quality.

Has anyone grown it here? How successful were you? Do you know where I can get some root to start?

Im really up for suggestions! Thanks!

Im in US...would LOVE to grow it
Cannot find roots!

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Have you looked online @nayday ?

 

[nayday]

Have you looked online @nayday ?

Yes! And all i find is jars of processed and or seeds..
Seeds??? Isnt it a root? My friend in ohio says its invasive.... i would love to find out!

 

[daveb]

some US sources and not included on here is also walmart some locations have it in stock in spring or available online order for root stock, as for being invasive i have an area that years a go i dug out for horse radish and had some old pieces of steel plates i buried vertical to make a 4 x 6 crib around the area i later removed cause it was just a pain to mow up to. Plant in a strip mix good soil and sand down a couple feet deep 4 x 6 area and plant. just mulch it good and mow around it, it wont spread, If worried it spreading get some 2 or 3 foot vinyl or plastic compost hoops a few feet tall and sink that in ground fill with soil and plant in center


best supplier root in USA---->> https://www.jrkelly.com/commercial-ordering/how-to-order/

Horseradish Roots for Spring Planting | Johnny's Selected Seeds

Healthy horseradish root cuttings ship March through May for spring planting. 100% satisfaction guaranteed.

www.johnnyseeds.com

Horseradish Plants from Stark Bro’s

Easy to grow, requiring minimal maintenance, green and leafy with small white flowers in spring, horseradish plants make a great addition to the kitchen garden.

www.starkbros.com

Horseradish Plant | Park Seed

A perennial plant that grows readily, setting generous amounts of thick, creamy roots packed with spicy flavor. Sold as roots, it establishes easily and can be grown in a container or the sunny to partly shaded garden. For sale at Park Seed.

parkseed.com

 

[daveb]

on one other note good home made horseradish , i grind my own i also add onions in mine as i grind, salt and vinegar. i use the pint ball canning jars sterilize them first and the added the salt and vinegar concentration is enough it doesn't go bad if kept in fridge with the level of acidity if you want to you may hot process it, put it in cabbing jars drop into hot water bath for 15 minutes take out tighten cap and invert

for each pound of root i use 1 to 1/14 cup distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar this will vary slight as to consistence you want , 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt ( to taste ) when you fill jars pole around with a skewer and tap jar on counter top to release all the trapped air from the packed horseradish.

I also pack a large number of 1/2 pint ( 8 oz ) jars i add one full jar to a large bottle of BBQ sauce i think the bottles i have are 28 to 32 oz size and use to marinate meat chicken pork and fish. The enzyme in horse radish is a natural meat tenderizer, i pour a layer of sauce in bottom of marinate dish lay meats on it and then pout a bit more over the top and cover. marinate a day and half way through scrape the bbq sauce off top flip and scoop marinate back over and let it finish, cook on grill and use the marinate as the bbq sauce as you cook any left over as you cook render it down on stove as a dipping sauce to use during meal. The horseradish will not over power the flavor and will dissipate as you cook with it.

 

[nayday]

some US sources and not included on here is also walmart some locations have it in stock in spring or available online order for root stock, as for being invasive i have an area that years a go i dug out for horse radish and had some old pieces of steel plates i buried vertical to make a 4 x 6 crib around the area i later removed cause it was just a pain to mow up to. Plant in a strip mix good soil and sand down a couple feet deep 4 x 6 area and plant. just mulch it good and mow around it, it wont spread, If worried it spreading get some 2 or 3 foot vinyl or plastic compost hoops a few feet tall and sink that in ground fill with soil and plant in center


best supplier root in USA---->> https://www.jrkelly.com/commercial-ordering/how-to-order/

Horseradish Roots for Spring Planting | Johnny's Selected Seeds

Healthy horseradish root cuttings ship March through May for spring planting. 100% satisfaction guaranteed.

www.johnnyseeds.com

Horseradish Plants from Stark Bro’s

Easy to grow, requiring minimal maintenance, green and leafy with small white flowers in spring, horseradish plants make a great addition to the kitchen garden.

www.starkbros.com

Horseradish Plant | Park Seed

A perennial plant that grows readily, setting generous amounts of thick, creamy roots packed with spicy flavor. Sold as roots, it establishes easily and can be grown in a container or the sunny to partly shaded garden. For sale at Park Seed.

parkseed.com

Blessings on you!!!
Thank u