Contrary to what you might have heard, you don’t need a stream running through your garden to grow watercress. You don’t even need a garden – a large pot and a shady spot is all you’ll need for regular harvests of these vitamin-rich leaves throughout the summer.

What conditions does watercress need to grow?

In order to thrive, watercress must be kept permanently wet. It can grow submerged in water (as it does in a stream), but will do just as well in damp soil. The simplest way to achieve this is to sit your container in a deep saucer filled with water.

Where does watercress grow best?

Watercress prefers a position in light shade, but will grow well in a sunny position, providing the soil or compost is wet. It needs to be kept moist all year round, so grows well in damp or wet soil or a container that sits in a deep saucer filled with water.

Does watercress need sunlight?

Watercress is a sun-loving perennial that grows along running waterways, such as streams. It has a peppery taste that is delicious in salad mixes and is especially popular in Europe.

Is watercress an oxygenating plant?

Fool’s watercress is a hardy British native that makes an excellent oxygenating plant. It produces foliage both above and below the water surface. In summer, the above-water stems bear small white flowers that are good for attracting bees, hoverflies and butterflies.

Is watercress hard to grow?

Watercress makes a tasty addition to your indoor herb garden offering amazing health benefits. This water-loving, cool-season crop is easy to grow and can be harvested all year round to add to peppery flavor to salads, soups, sandwiches, or smoothies.

Does watercress grow back after cutting?

Cut the cress. If you cut the plant back to ½ inch, it will quickly regrow. Cress tastes best during its early seed-leaf stage. Try to cut and eat the cress before it matures. If you want, you can even eat the sprouts of the cress.

How long does it take for watercress to grow?

Container grown plants can be placed in a saucer filled with water to retain moisture. Seedlings will appear in about five days. If you are transplanting, space the plants 8 inches (20 cm.) apart once all chance of frost has passed.

Can watercress survive winter?

Watercress is exceptionally hardy, able to survive in USDA hardiness zones 3 and above. In the autumn, it’ll lose its foliage, leaving only the basal rosette of leaves behind. This will overwinter and should resprout on its own the following spring.

Can I grow watercress indoors?

As long as the plant’s sun, soil and moisture requirements are met, watercress can even be grown indoors. Gardeners typically grow this edible perennial for its flavorful leaves and shoots, which have a peppery flavor and can be used raw or cooked.

Article first time published on

How does watercress spread?

Although watercress is easily grown from seed, it is usually propagated in temperate climates from stem-pieces, which root easily in wet soil. … As watercress becomes established, the plants will spread and float on the edges of streams, rooting into the soil below.

How do you keep watercress alive?

To keep watercress fresh for up to 5 days, store it in the refrigerator in a deep bowl, upside-down with the stems submerged in cold water and the leafy tops covered with a plastic bag.

Is watercress invasive?

Watercress is also distributed worldwide. It is usually considered an introduced species in North and South America, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. In the United States, it is listed by 46 states as noxious and invasive. … It is widely cultivated and is the same watercress commonly used as a salad green.

Can I grow watercress in my pond?

Watercress grows naturally in shallow, slow-moving streams, and you can easily line your pond with it. If you place seeds in the right potting mix and keep the growing medium wet, they will sprout. Fresh cuttings also sprout new roots in water.

What are the health benefits of eating watercress?

Eating watercress can help support the health of your heart. Antioxidants (carotenoids in particular) have been linked to lower blood pressure, lower risk of heart disease, and even a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Is watercress a floating plant?

watercress, (Nasturtium officinale), also called cress, perennial aquatic plant of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to Eurasia and naturalized throughout North America. Watercress thrives in cool flowing streams, where it grows submerged, floating on the water, or spread over mud surfaces.

Does watercress need running water?

Watercress Aqua A great, peppery strong flavoured water cress that doesn’t even need running water. Just keep in a damp place and keep moist and you will have a delicious healthy water cress to pick straight from the garden or windowsill.

Can you plant watercress from the grocery store?

Plant your roots gently in the wet soil around your water source. Your watercress should grow easily and proliferate well there. … Purchase a fresh bunch of watercress from your local farmer’s market or even from your local grocery store. Plug a few stems of watercress with root shoots into the soil and water it well.

What's the difference between Cress and watercress?

The biggest difference is that garden cress is grown rooted in soil, whilst watercress has floating roots that grow freely in natural spring water. Although they are similar in flavour, garden cress is a more delicate plant that doesn’t provide the same crunch or punch as our super salad.

Can you plant cress in soil?

Growing grown-up cress If cress becomes too hot and dry, it tends to bolt, so it’s a good choice for an area that’s a bit shady and, for best results, it needs to be grown in soil that remains moist. Because it grows so quickly, it’s ideal for intercropping.

Is watercress a Superfood?

Atop the list? Watercress, long known as a superfood because it packs large amounts of a wide variety of these important substances, with a score of 100. The next five in the elite category: Chinese cabbage (91.99), chard (89.27), beet greens (87.08), spinach (86.43) and chicory (73.36).

What level of nitrates can watercress absorb?

Tests conducted over summer and autumn show that at a lowflow rate the watercress was absorbing as much as 40% of the nitrate and phosphate from the water.

Where does watercress grow naturally?

Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) is an edible water plant that commonly occurs throughout the United States, southern Canada, Europe and Asia. It’s actually native to Europe and Asia and naturalized elsewhere.

Is watercress cold hardy?

It is hardy to about -15°C (5°F). Plants will often continue to grow all through mild winters.

Does watercress only grow in clean water?

For minerals, you have phosphorus, calcium and iron. If you want to gather watercress yourself, remember that, while it only grows in flowing water, it will grow in polluted flowing water. So be sure the stream is clean.

How do you grow watercress in a stream?

Begin seeds indoors using small pots in a large container filled with water. Plant seeds in the smaller pots about 3 to 4 inches apart. Once your seedlings are a few inches tall and begin to grow leaves, transplant them to your garden. Use an underground watering system or create your own stream with pipes and pebbles.

How do you germinate watercress?

Plant watercress seeds in the bog by sowing them 1/4″ deep and about 1/2″ apart. Cover the seeds with fine garden soil and gently water them in. Keep the bed moist until the seeds germinate.

Are watercress sprouts?

One of the most nutritious sprouts you can grow, watercress is a wonderful addition to sandwiches, spreads, and salads.

How do you grow watercress in a greenhouse?

Fill the tray with compost and sit it on a plate of water until the soil is saturated. Scatter seed across the surface, cover the tray with a clear plastic bag… and place it on a windowsill,” Ms Fowler continued, suggesting that watering can commence after the plants start germinating.

Can you grow watercress in a jar?

Watercress sprouts easily and you can grow it in a jar just like you do alfalfa seeds. … You can accomplish this by starting the seeds in a small pot of clean potting mix and then setting the pot in a saucer of water. Misting is great or put a plastic cover over the seed mix if your air is dry.

Is watercress illegal?

Called water morning glory or Chinese watercress in some regions, Chinese water spinach is quarantined or prohibited in numerous US states, including Alabama, Arizona, and Arkansas.