Occasionally, picking plants for your herb garden revolves around satisfying your taste preferences, yet at times, it’s about identifying what you believe will thrive with minimal effort. As you decide which herbs to cultivate, one that tastes great, requires little maintenance, and faces few pest issues may seem ideal. However, such qualities could end up guiding you towards an invasive type of plant.
an herb you should keep at a distance from other plants in your garden to prevent adverse effects
: horseradish.
Horseradish has the scientific name Armoracia rusticana and grows well within USDA hardiness zones 2 through 9, covering much of the United States. Its distinctive flavor and rapid spreading nature stem from its robust roots. These roots originate from a main root crown and delve deeply into the earth, making horseradish challenging to eradicate because just a tiny fragment of root can regenerate new growth. As this plant spreads extensively, it often begins to dominate over other plants in your garden by consuming essential nutrients, potentially harming their overall vitality.
Although horseradish’s spread can occasionally be labeled as “invasive,” it isn’t officially classified as such in North America. Even though it didn’t originate in the U.S., calling it invasive implies that it causes damage to ecosystems or people. It’s a
fast-growing herb
That can take over your garden, but that’s insufficient to warrant the “invasive” designation.
Read more:
The Plant You Might Want to Include in Your Garden for Richer Soil
Ways to Stop Horseradish From Taking Over
To prevent horseradish from taking over your garden, avoid growing it directly in the ground without barriers. Install a physical obstacle such as a plastic or metal shield within the planting zone to stop the roots from spreading excessively; these should go down 12 to 18 inches into the earth. A simple do-it-yourself solution for this is to remove the base of a big plastic container and submerge it in the spot where you plan to cultivate horseradish.
If installing an underground barrier doesn’t appeal to you, consider growing horseradish in a raised bed or container with a depth of at least 18 inches. While allowing roots to spread excessively can lead to overcrowding issues, restricting their growth space too much will result in poor health for the horseradish plant. For those looking to add some variety, incorporating different herbs into your setup can offer additional creativity opportunities.
Create your own topiary planter to manage rapidly growing herbs.
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Once it’s time to gather your horseradish, ensure you dig out the whole root along with all its offshoots. This task is best performed during their dormant phase in late autumn or early spring because at these times, the roots tend not to spread as easily. If your horseradish has just an underground boundary keeping them contained, refrain from turning over the dirt; doing so could disperse sections of the roots throughout the garden and undermine your efforts to keep them confined.
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