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Watercress

Nasturtium officinale

INTRODUCTION

Watercress is an aquatic plant related to cabbage and kale as part of the Brassica family.

Naturally, watercress grows in clear, fast-flowing chalk streams but can be produced at home in any wet area.

Watercress is an easy crop to produce and highly nutritious sharing many of the nutrients and compounds found in other cruciferous vegetables.

Soil Preparation

Although watercress grows naturally in chalk streams, the good news is that you don't need your garden or allotment to back onto such a river, watercress can be easily produced at home.

You don't even need a garden, it can be produced by growing in a large container.

Fill a container with compost and keep wet at all times.

Place the container in a shady position.

Sowing & Planting

Watercress is easily propagated by stem cuttings or from seeds.

Sow seeds from March or April onwards.

Seeds should be sown on the soil surface, there is no need to cover them. The seed will take approx 14 days to germinate.

Do not let the soil dry out as watercress requires wet soil for best germination.

Sow little and often throughout the spring and summer for a constant supply of fresh leaves.

Watercress can also be grown as a microgreen. Simply sow the seed thickly and harvest when very young.

Growing & General Cultivation

Ideally, keep your containers of watercress in a shady position, but some sun works well too.

Remove flowers as soon as you see them to keep plants cropping.

Keep compost wet at all times.

As an alternative to sowing seed, you can easily root watercress cuttings by simply purchasing a bag in the salad aisle in any supermarket and placing the stems in a glass of water. Once rooted, pot on into compost filled containers.