Many vegetable gardeners do not think they can grow watercress. But it can actually grow and even thrive in any vegetable garden. The fact is watercress is very adaptable.

Watercress in the wild grows in running water, but most of us do not have the luxury of a running river near our garden.

But…

You can actually grow watercress in pots, buckets or a container, which is the way I grow watercress. Watercress can be grown from seed, transplanted from cuttings.

Prior to sowing try and choose a sunny area in your garden. First, fill your pots or container with compost or a mixture of compost and garden soil, then sow the seeds which are very tiny, and then scatter a thin layer of compost over the seeds.

Watercress germinates well in cool conditions of around 10-15 C. Once the seeds are coming up and have properly established, then it’s a good idea to add a water tray under the pot or the container so it stand in water.

Feed the watercress with a soluble fertilizer.

Pests:  Snails do love watercress, but just remove them by hand. Some people get whitefly but that can be easily sorted with some soapy water or insecticidal soap.

Picking: pick when the leaves and stalks are big enough and when you want to eat it!!

Watercress can go to seed, but if you pick it continuously it shouldn’t get to flowering stage.