Can I grow watercress at home in the UK?

Yes — the pot-in-saucer method works well for kitchen use. A 20 cm pot of compost stood in a saucer of fresh water, kept topped up daily, gives a useful crop within 6–8 weeks. Don't try to grow watercress in a normal garden bed; without constantly wet roots it sulks and bolts.

Is wild watercress safe to eat?

No — not raw. UK wild watercress may carry liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica), a parasite that can infect humans and cause serious illness. The eggs are laid by infected sheep and cattle and can persist in the stream or surrounding wet ground. Wild watercress should only be eaten well-cooked; even then it's safer to grow your own. Commercially-grown watercress is safe to eat raw.

What's the difference between watercress and land cress?

Watercress (Nasturtium officinale): true aquatic perennial; needs constantly wet roots; classic peppery flavour. Land cress (Barbarea verna, sometimes called American land cress): grows in normal damp soil; similar peppery flavour; much easier in UK gardens. Land cress is a hardy biennial — sow March–September, crop October through to spring. The practical UK substitute for watercress when you don't have running water.

How do I grow watercress from supermarket sprigs?

Stand a bunch of supermarket watercress in a glass of fresh water; change the water daily. Roots form within a week. Once 2–3 cm of roots have grown, plant the rooted sprigs in damp compost in a pot, stand the pot in a saucer of water, treat as for seed-grown. A free start, and the supermarket bunch was someone else's cultivar selection.

When can I pick watercress?

6–8 weeks after sowing (or 2–3 weeks after planting rooted sprigs). Pick the top 5–7 cm of shoots; the plant branches and produces more from each cut. Continuous picking is the rhythm; the more you cut the more it grows. Cut flower stems off as soon as they appear to keep the foliage tender.

Why is my watercress yellowing and tough?

Three usual causes. Roots not wet enough: the saucer dried out. Keep it topped up daily. Too much sun: watercress wilts in strong direct sun; move to light shade. Flowering: the plant is mid-life and trying to set seed; cut the flower stems off and pick more aggressively, or replace with fresh cuttings.

Rukiew wodna

Nasturtium officinale

Grow watercress in a pot stood in a saucer of fresh water, kept topped up daily, in light shade — it's a perennial aquatic herb that wants constantly damp roots and cool conditions. Watercress is hardy (RHS H6) but UK home growers don't usually attempt the running-stream cultivation it really wants. The pot-in-saucer method works well for kitchen use. Sow seed in late spring (March–May) onto compost, keep wet, and pick young shoots within 6–8 weeks. Don't gather wild watercress — UK wild stocks may carry liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica) and should not be eaten raw. Land cress (Barbarea verna) is the soil-grown UK alternative with similar peppery flavour, sown March to September and cropped winter through to spring.

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