Make your own free Horseradish plants

Horseradish can be a bit of a challenge to tame in the garden. If not careful, you can end up with horseradish all over the area.

This is why I plant theese in their own container. Not to be able to take it inside during the winter, but to make sure it won't spread.

The container I chose this spring is already too small, so it's time to replant and shave the root sort of speak.
If I don't shave the root, the plant will grow and make the rootsystem into a lot of little thin hairy / spaghetti roots, that we can't use. We want it in size of a small carrot at least, to be able to grate.

I prepared a place for the plant, removed all weeds and stones.

I put in some natural fertilizer from the chickens for better soil quality. It's not completely composed yet, but it's fine, since we have a lot if sand in the dirt in this area.

I empty out the bucket. 

It can be a bit difficult, but if you plant in a plastic bucket like this, you can beat it carefully a bit with a hammer on the outside of the bucket.

It frees the roots a bit and massages the soil, so its more easy to work with.

I shake off the soil, to have a better look at the roots for each plant.

Lets take the 2 plants i the middle and have a closer look at the roots...

Look at that hairy mess. Theres one plant with one good root, and the plant to the right has 2.

I let my hands slide carefully downwards the root, to remove the little hairy roots. Some I simply cut off with a pair of scissors.

After a while you have "cleaned" the root system, now we are able to replant, to grow a more thick root.

The root should be planted on a slope sort of speak. It makes me think about skiing trips!

Well, as you see from the picture, you make a slope. 

When planting, the root of the plant follows the slope, then cover the root with a layer of dirt, making another slope on top of the first.

Finished planting, I for sure have a lot of cut offs from the plant roots. In a small garden, where you have to be careful not to let any plants get control of the garden, its normal to burn the root. 

Dont put it in the compost, thats asking for trouble.

If you - like me - want more plants, I just plant them all in a bunch in a controlled environment (a container of some sort) 

Well, this is not the most easy plant to grow, but still I hope you are up for the challenge. The taste of fresh horseradish is great and can put a "kickass" to your food.

I especially love roastbeef with a horseradish sauce - but I dont have to give you recipes, do I(?) 

You have your own favorites, and also you can find thousands of recipes with horseradish out there, just ask google :-)