Horseradish · Abū al-Kahṣīb, Basra, Iraq
When to plant horseradish in Abū al-Kahṣīb
Main outdoor window
23 Dec - 9 Jan
The window this page is built around.
Timed from last spring frost
23 January
In Abū al-Kahṣīb, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
1 Oct - 30 Nov
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Abū al-Kahṣīb
Each window is a range, not a single day. Earlier in the range buys you a longer season; later in it buys you a safer one.
Plant the root
23 Dec - 9 Jan
Any time the plant is dormant and the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged: after leaf fall in autumn, or at the end of winter before growth restarts.
Harvest
1 Oct - 30 Nov
Horseradish through the year
Against the frost risk in Abū al-Kahṣīb
Why these dates
Plant root cuttings in early spring while dormant. Lift in autumn after the first frosts, which sharpen the flavour considerably.
Hardy to -25C and beyond. Frost improves the root rather than damaging it.
Horseradish are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. What matters in Abū al-Kahṣīb is the shape of the year: this crop is dormant through the winter and is planted while it sleeps, any time between leaf fall in autumn and the restart of growth in spring, so long as the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged. That is why the window below spans the cold months rather than sitting in the middle of the growing season.
Abū al-Kahṣīb sits in zone 10a, which is milder than this crop wants, and a winter that never really arrives is its own problem. The dates below still describe the right time of year; the open question is survival rather than timing.
Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 1, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.
Growing horseradish in Abū al-Kahṣīb
When should I plant horseradish in Abū al-Kahṣīb?
Aim for 23 Dec - 9 Jan in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 14 Dec - 26 Jan - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When will horseradish be ready to harvest in Abū al-Kahṣīb?
Expect to start picking around 1 Oct - 30 Nov, based on 150 to 180 days to maturity from the planting date calculated for this location.
How much frost will horseradish tolerate?
Hardy to -25C and beyond. Frost improves the root rather than damaging it.