Hunting wild water cress is becoming a dangerous pastime with the prevalence of polluted waterways. Dirty streams makes watercress unfit to eat. (Remember - if you wouldn’t drink the water, you shouldn’t eat the watercress!) It is best to stay with a known cultivated source. Although it is available in some supermarkets, unless you can use an entire supermarket pack within a day or so, it goes floppy and has to be thrown out. Watercress is definitely worth growing at home.

Position:

Although usually grown commercially in water, watercress can be grown in the garden soil provided it is given plenty of water and will crop from early summer till around Christmas if protected with cloches during cold spells. You can also grow it in a container stood in a saucer of water. Plant 3 to 4 plants to a 30cm (12in) tub or pot and stand in a container with about 2 to 3in of water, in the shade. Keep the water constantly topped up to this level. The important thing to remember is to ensure the soil remains soaked at all times and to changing the water for fresh each day to avoid fungal infections.

Sowing: Sow successionally spring to autumn

Start seeds indoors in March to April or sow directly once the soil has begun to warm in April to May. Sow successionally each month until autumn. If you plant a sowing undercover late in the year, this will give fresh winter salad greens.

Sowing Indoors:

Fill pots or trays with regular multipurpose compost; moisten by standing the container in water, then drain. Sow seeds by sprinkling quite finely onto the surface. Cover the container with clear glass or plastic sheet. Once germinated, remove the glass. (If the nights are still cold, put the glass back on in the evening). Water daily, lightly at first, then thoroughly with a watering can once grown.

Sowing Direct:

Sow in very shallow drills spread 7.5cm (3in) apart, and cover with a light covering of soil. You may wish to have your drill at the bottom of a small trench approximately 8 to 10cm (3-4in) deep for easier watering. Watercress seeds are quick to germinate anytime from 7 to 10 days. Thin out the seedlings finally to 10cm (4in) apart

Cultivation:

Keep weed free and water regularly and copiously throughout the season. Watercress produces small, white flowers in flat-topped clusters in summer to early autumn and, unless harvested frequently to prevent these flowers from forming, the leaves will become less tender and bitter.

Harvesting:

Harvest once the plants have become well developed by trimming off tops of the shoots (about half its length) with sharp scissors. The stems will regenerate by producing side shoots. Carry on cutting as it grows. You can cut the same lengths when they re-grow too, but bear in mind that after 2 or 3 cuts the stalks start to get tough and the taste gets stronger as the plant get bigger.. You can feed it with an organic fertiliser after the second cut to give it some final oomph. Sow successionally for tender young shoots.