Tips on Growing Cress
The best thing about planting a garden is seeing the progress of the plants growing; cress is one of the first plants that will make their appearance to the delight of the gardener. Not only is it an early emerging green, it is also a continually producing plant that will titillate the taste buds for months.
One of the most distinguishing features of cress is its slightly peppery flavor, one which melds well with other spring mix greens. Generally, the leafy herb is not eaten on its own, but either combined with other leaves or used to dress up the appearance and taste of a sandwich. There are a few varieties of the green that are commonly used for culinary purposes; watercress, curly cress and garden cress. The garden variety will be the easiest to cultivate in the garden due to its rapid growth rate.
While there are plants that can be tricky or complicated to grow and cultivate, that is definitely not the case when growing cress. These greens are so easy to grow that they don’t even need to be planted in the traditional sense. A simple sprinkling of the seeds on an agreeable medium, like cotton, paper toweling, hemp cloth or even soil while keeping them moist will see almost immediate sprouting; making this an ideal project for young children who have a short interest level. When planting these seeds, the average time period between sowing and seeing actual green sprouts is within 5 to 7 days. This quick response time makes cress a great activity to kids to indulge in, and will help them increase their dietary intake of dark, leafy greens since they had a hand in growing them.
When planting cress in the garden outside or in a window box indoors, it is best to use a light sandy loam. The sprouts and plants perform optimally when they are kept moist, but will also need to be well drained. Shady or partly shady locations provide the best environment for growing any of the types of cress. In gardens where space is of no concern, subsequent plantings of the seeds every couple of weeks will ensure that a fresh crop of the delicious, spicy greens will always be available.
Conditions for planting the cress should be cool weather, either spring or fall. As soon as the seeds can be sown after the last frost or a few weeks before the first frost would be the perfect timing to do so. Planting is much simpler than with most garden vegetables; simply broadcast the seeds over the prepared area, then cover very lightly with soil. Keep the planted area damp, and within just a few days, you will be rewarded by the appearance of tiny sprouts. Expect to begin harvesting the dark greens about two weeks later. To avoid the greens developing a sharp, bitter taste, discontinue planting the cress when the “dog days” of summer arrive; the heat of midsummer brings out the worst in this herb. If planting the seeds indoors, consecutive plantings can continue throughout the year that will keep you supplied with this flavorful, zippy herb.
Interspersing cress plantings with other salad selections in the garden helps to save valuable growing space. A non-invasive plant, growing cress among carrots, radishes, beets, green onions and other types of salad greens can create a type of growing “salad bar” within your garden.
Planting a garden brings out the nurturing spirit in most individuals. The carefully sown garden coming alive with tiny shoots and sprouts of early risers such as cress is a wonderful reward. Beginning to harvest the peppery greens a mere two weeks later is a feeling of gardening satisfaction and success, as well as a culinary treat for the taste buds.