daikon
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I can never find good watercress, so I thought that I would grow my own. HELP! :-) I'm really not very good with plants, but don't tell the bosses at the indoor landscaping and the garden nursery where I used to work. It's winter here in Maryland, 8 inches of snow last…
Last edited on 28 Oct 2026. View history
Watercress
Nasturtium officinale
A variety of nasturtium
How to sow watercress: Direct seed, transplants, or cuttings
Sun requirement for watercress: Plant in Full Sun
Watercress is a semi-aquatic to aquatic perennial plant in the Brassica family whose leaves and stems have a clean, slightly peppery taste. In the wild, Watercress favors moderately cool climates and grows partially submerged in running water and flooded areas. It is one of the oldest known leaf vegetables eaten by humans. Watercress can be cultivated hydroponically, in containers, or in soil that is kept constantly wet. It can be harvested as sprouts or leaves.
- 8
- plantings
- 14
- harvests
- 3
- seed packets
Growing watercress
Annual
living and reproducing in a single year or lessMedian lifespan
22 weeksFirst harvest expected
8 weeks after plantingLast harvest expected
19 weeks after plantingSpread
20cmRow Spacing
20cmGrown for
leaf harvested 14 timesHow members grow watercress
Sunniness
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Planted from
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Harvested for
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Plant watercress with
Photos
Watercress crops
Watercress plantings
Watercress harvests
Video
Where watercress grow
Only plantings by members who have set their locations are shown.
What people are saying about watercress
Seeds!
by oakandsage,
Yay, seeds arrived. Gonna go on a planting binge tomorrow. Especially since tomorrow is tomato day!
Got: Golden purslane Watercress Yard long bean Blackeye pea Charentais melon Cantaloupe (M…
purslane
watercress
beans
peas
melons
cantaloupes
tomatoes
cauliflowers
Read more
purslane
Who's planted watercress
- shiny The Deck · Wellington, NZ
- shiny Sunny old raised bed · Wellington, NZ
- shiny indoor plants · Wellington, NZ
- shiny indoor plants · Wellington, NZ
- shiny The Deck · Wellington, NZ
Watercress harvests
-
shiny harvested not specified.
over 6 years ago
-
shiny harvested not specified.
over 6 years ago
-
shiny harvested not specified.
almost 7 years ago
shiny harvested not specified.
Find watercress seeds
View all watercress seeds
- Purchase seeds via Ebay
- Sign in or sign up to list your seeds to trade.
Ecological requirements
Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Nasturtium officinale R.Br.
| Optimal temperature | 12 - 17 °C |
|---|---|
| Absolute temperature | 6 - 32 °C |
| Killing temperature | growth: 0 °C, rest: 3 °C |
| Optimal rainfall | 1000 - 2300 mm/year |
| Absolute rainfall | 300 - 4200 mm/year |
| Optimal soil pH | 6.5 - 7.5 |
| Absolute soil pH | 4.5 - 8.3 |
| Crop cycle | 40 - 80 days |
| Max altitude | 3000 m |
| Life form | herb |
| Life span | perennial |
| Optimal soil depth | shallow (20-50 cm) |
| Optimal soil texture | medium, light |
| Optimal soil fertility | moderate |
| Optimal soil drainage | poorly (saturated >50% of year) |
| Optimal soil salinity | low (<4 dS/m) |
| Photoperiod | neutral day (12-14 hours), long day (>14 hours) |
| Optimal light | very bright |
Learn more about watercress
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