Plant · P-193

Horseradish

Armoracia rusticana

Horseradish is a perennial root crop grown for its hot, mustard-like flavor - the classic condiment root, best used fresh since the heat fades fast once it's grated or cut. It replants itself for free: each harvest leaves root fragments behind that regrow the next crop, and stored root segments become next year's planting stock, so it never needs buying twice. That same regenerative habit makes it hard to get rid of once established, so it's usually grown in a bottomless pot or bucket sunk into the ground to contain the roots - though the real control is simply harvesting it every year, since a bed left alone is what actually turns it into a weed. The leaves aren't a food crop and shouldn't go in a salad or to livestock; only the root is eaten.