How To Harvest Horseradish in 2025: Professional Tips

Are you trying to find out when and how to harvest Horseradish in your garden? This post is for you.

Horseradish (Amoracia rusticana) is cherished among gardeners who love spicy foods. In this guide, you will learn about when and how you should harvest Horseradish, as well as how to prepare Horseradish after harvesting. Let’s get started.

Brief Information About Horseradish

Horseradish is a hardy perennial vegetable that is easy to grow and harvest. It is hardy to USDA zone 3. It is a large-leaved herb that thrives in full sun but can tolerate some shade. This herb is resistant to most diseases and is well-adapted to many soil types.

Horseradish offers huge dietary, health, and medicinal benefits that make it a popular plant for over 3,000 years.

For instance, Horseradish helps with weight loss and aids metabolism and digestion. It also helps in loosening phlegm in the body, whether it’s in the blood, joints, or sinuses. More so, it can help clear out a heavy, swollen, or painful body.

Amoracia rusticana is reportedly good for treating health conditions like flu, colds, arthritis, and lymphedema. It also has antibacterial properties and can give a big boost to your immune system.

However, this herb is primarily used for cooking as a spicy kick or condiment. It is often added to sauces, creams, dressings, and cocktails.

Harvesting Horseradish plants and roots is pretty simple, and they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to six weeks. Keep on reading to learn about Horseradish’s growing conditions, as well as how and when to harvest it.

Growing Conditions

Horseradish is grown primarily for its pungent root. As stated above, Horseradish prefers to grow in well-drained, loose soil in a sunny location. 

In some areas, this herb can become aggressive and weedy, but you may not have such a problem if you live in an extremely hot region. Also, you can harvest it heavily during the winter months to keep it under control.

Although Horseradish can be planted at any time of the year, some gardeners believe the best time to grow Horseradish is springtime, as soon as the soil can be worked. 

The easiest way to propagate Horseradish is by root cutting or sets. 

Prior to planting, prepare the garden soil by digging it down eight to 10 inches (20 to 25 cm). Incorporate a generous amount of compost into the soil. If necessary, add some plant foods, such as cured manure or an organic fertilizer like N-P-K 10-10-10 fertilizer.

If you opt for the NPK fertilizer, apply it in the amount of one lb (0.5kg) per 100 sq. ft. (9.29 sq. m.). After fertilizer application, allow the plot to stay for a few days before planting the Horseradish. 

When planting, set the root cuttings either vertically or at a 45° angle about 3 to 4 inches deep. Planting them at an angle helps them grow a little better, spaced one ft. (31 cm.) apart from one another. Cover the roots with two to three inches (5 to 8 cm.) of soil and water them in. 

Mulch around the planted roots to help cool the soil, retain moisture, and control weeds. Horseradish requires less maintenance, which includes weeding, watering, and stripping the roots. 

To grow high-quality Horseradish plants, we recommend that you lift and strip the roots twice. First, when the biggest leaves are eight to 10 inches long, do it again after six weeks.

To lift and strip the roots, carefully remove the soil covering the upper ends of the main root. Leave the other roots at the lower end of the set. Carefully raise the crown and remove all except the best sprout or crown of leaves.

After that, rub off all the small roots from the crown and sides of the main root. Leave only those at the bottom. Then, return the set carefully to its original position and replace the soil.

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When To Harvest Horseradish Root

Now that your Horseradish is growing nicely, you may want to know when it’s time to harvest it. The time you harvest your Horseradish plant will really affect its flavor. 

When you harvest it too early, like in the late summer, the Horseradish root will not have the desired strong and spicy kick. Although younger Horseradish leaves will still give you that sharp and peppery taste, avoid harvesting the root too early.

Horseradish should be harvested one year after planting. So, if you plant your Horseradish during summertime or early fall, the best time to harvest it is late October or early November.

We recommend that you harvest your Horseradish once the rainfall starts knocking down the leaves. 

How to Harvest Horseradish Root

Harvesting Horseradish follows a simple process. Once the leaves have started to fall and decompose, then it’s a good time to start harvesting.

Harvesting Horseradish root follows a process similar to harvesting carrots. You must be very careful not to snap or damage the root crop. The best garden tool for harvesting is the garden spade or garden fork.

All you have to do is loosen the soil around the plants. Dig the soil in a wide circle and be careful not to penetrate the taproot. Note that the root doesn’t always grow straight down into the soil but can go in any direction. 

Once you have loosened the soil, grasp the top of the plant in your hands and shake it out of the ground. If you are practicing a container garden, harvesting Horseradish in a pot is easier.

Once the roots are lifted, cut the leaves off 1in. above the crown of the plant and cut off all tiny roots growing off the main thick roots. You can save any sections that are about 8in. long. Any little piece of root left behind will regrow into a new plant next year.

After harvesting, wash the roots thoroughly outside with a hose.

How To Store Horseradish

You may not need to harvest the entire crop at once if you don’t need to. Instead, it is better to harvest Horseradish as you need it.

If treated properly, you can store Horseradish for several months. Once harvested, clean the roots off any dirt and soil, and allow them to dry properly before you store them.

To store Horseradish roots for a few weeks, keep them in a perforated plastic bag in a refrigerator. However, if you want to store Horseradish roots for a longer period, store them in a wooden box covered in damp sand. 

Keep the roots in a cool, dark, and frost-free place at a temperature of 32°F to 40°F. When ready to use, bring out the roots, wash and peel them, then grate or slice them as necessary.

Now you know when and how to harvest and prepare Horseradish. To plan your garden, Horseradish is a great companion to potato plants, where it produces scents that repel pests. You can also plant it together with strawberries.

Do you also have Mullein in your garden? Check out this article to learn how to harvest Mullein.

• How To Harvest Mullein

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