Garden cress
Garden cress is a small watercress rich in vitamins and minerals. It is appreciated in salads, mixed with milder leaves, as a condiment on meat, fish... It can also be eaten cooked, in a soup, a quiche, an omelette... It belongs to the Brassicaceae family. The garden cress is the most common one, but there is also the "curly" one, the one with large leaves... Garden cress is very easy to grow.
The easiest way is to sow the garden cress directly in the ground according to the calendar. Under cover, in a pot or in a container, it can be planted from March to October. From April onwards, the garden cress can be sown in the ground in a prepared soil. For sowing in the ground, prefer a sheltered place. The soil should be enriched with compost and well decompacted. The furrows should not be too deep and the seedlings should be covered with a thin layer of soil.
Garden cress goes to seed very quickly; thinning out is necessary as soon as rosettes form. Leave one plant every 10 to 15 centimeters. It is water-hungry and needs regular watering. Harvesting can begin six to seven weeks after sowing and continue until the first frost. The larger leaves are harvested as needed when they reach 10 to 12 centimeters. Always take care to leave some leaves on the plant.
Garden cress
- Type : Vegetables
- Subtype : Leafy vegetables
- Botanical family : Brassicaceae (cruciferous)
Characteristics
- Lifecycle : Annual
- Exposure : Partial shade
- Hardiness : Frost resistant
- Cultivation difficulty : Very easy to grow, requires little maintenance (difficulty : 1/3)
- Adult height : 20 cm
Sowing & planting
- Sowing depth : 0.5 cm
- Plant spacing : 15 cm
- Row spacing : 30 cm
Maintenance
- Maintenance : Low
- Water requirements : Moderate