Kitchen Garden Forum

NON INVASIVE METHOD OF GROWING HORSERADISH

Plant your individual Thongs 2’ (60cm) apart and allow to establish the first year.
At the end of the first season clear all plant debris and weeds from the area and build a box 12”x12”x12” (30x30x30cm) with no top or bottom. Place the box over the crown centrally and insert 2-3” (50-75mm) of compost over the crown and top the rest of the box up with sharp sand. You will need a box for every thong.
The following Spring the Horseradish will send up several heads and these are new thongs. At the end of the season when the plant is dying back remove the box and pick ALL the thongs from the crown.
You must pick all the thongs irrespectively if you want them all or not or the system breaks down. When you have taken your young succulent thongs simply repeat the system again Box over the crown, compost and sharp sand.
If you need Horseradish urgently during the growing season it is possible to unearth a thong and take as much as you need.
NEVER allow Horseradish to flower and at the first sign of inflorescent cut them from the plant.
DO NOT dispose of unwanted surplus thongs on the compost heap either pass on to another gardener explaining the method or destroy. Suggest you allow drying out and burning them.
In the unlikely event of growth outside the box if you have it centrally positioned simply keep hoeing it down and deal with the source at the end of the season when harvesting.
When processing Horseradish remember to do so in an unconfined area and be aware that it will affect your eyes at about the strength Onions x 10! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Very interesting JB.
I fancy having a go not grown the stuff before. Have you ever grown from seed? I ask because i don't think it is possible to get the starts 'thongs' here in France or posted to France but i can order seeds by post.

Hi CJ,
You surprise me that you have never grown Horseradish. I have never grown from seed deliberately but it seems to become invasive in certain places. So it must be a viable operation although somewhat protracted because I really do not know how long it takes to grow up to the size of the thongs before you start with the box.
My original crop came from verge of the green lane that I have running through my property and there was just the single clump which, although it used to flower I never had masses of it.
I only found my method of control by mistake.
I was supposed to have 10 tons of sharp sand delivered and dropped on my hard standing and there was a notice Sharp sand Here but unfortunately the driver was unable to read or write and simply dumped it in the Green Lane blocking the access to the rest of the property. We cleared the lane but the verges were left until late autumn when we had time to smarten the place up. It had covered the Horseradish by about 12" and I put a shovel through the lot and got this wonderful smell and a shovelful of Thongs.
These nice young thongs made the most wonderful Horseradish relish. It was not until a couple of weeks later that I wondered if I could replicate it. The first experiment was a box on the verge of the Green Lane and I planted some thongs from there and allowed them to establish and ever since I have had the same lot growing for about 25 years. Sadly the original clump on the verge died years ago.
I now only produce enough for my needs with one box but through the years I had about 6 otherwise I could send you some.
You should find it growing wild in France as I have seen it growing Tarn and whereas I would not eat those particular roots if you transplant one root the thongs will be fine. It is said to originate from the Eastern Ukraine.
JB

CJ

Here's a whole French website devoted to horseradish. They suggest Vilmorin sell thongs.

http://raifort.free.fr/ou/ou.html

Alan

Thanks JB & Alan

I haven't grown it before because i wasn't that keen on it. But a friend of mine here in France introduced me to it again and i decided well ok it was pretty good stuff to eat. He madly wanted to grow it so we went in search but could only find seeds.

Will follow the Villmorin tip and see what i can find - slight hinderance is that my french is near non existant - shamefull i know but we live so isolated i rarely have a conversation perhaps once a week if that.

Will look up my wild 'weeds'of france book and see if i can find any too. That'll be fun. My other half has banned me from putting unknown green stuff in salads as i have a mania for collecting wild leaves to see if they taste nice

cevenol jardin wrote: I ask because i don't think it is possible to get the starts 'thongs' here in France or posted to France but i can order seeds by post.

Hello. I have just, literally, joined this Forum.
I also live in France and have recently had some English Horseradish sent by post from England. I will look up the company name when I've finsihed work and let you know, if you are still interested
Hazel T.

Whoops! Shows I'm new to the Forum. I've just seen the dates.
You've probably lost interest in this now, but if you still want I can look up the address

Hazel T

Evening J.B.
When using your method for growing Horseradish,after pulling the new thongs is the original thong left in the ground and used again or a fresh thong planted and started from scratch?

Hi Snooky,
The original root is left in the ground and by placing the box back over and refilling the box with sand/soil and compost this will happen year after year. You must pick all thongs produced even if you do not want to use them for the system to work.
JB.

Thanks for the answer,JB.