PlantSowGrow
How to grow Cress (Garden)
Lepidium sativum
The fastest crop there is: peppery shoots ready to snip in 10–14 days on a windowsill, all year round. Perfect for children.
At a glance: Sow early April to mid August, harvest from mid April.
When to sow, plant and harvest
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Sow outdoors
Harvest
Timed for a typical UK garden (last frost mid-April). The app uses your own town's frost dates.
Growing Cress (Garden): what it needs
- Light
- Part shade · 6+ hours a day
- Watering
- Water regularly in dry weather
- Soil
- Fertile, well-drained soil
- Spacing
- Sown thickly
- In pots
- Grows well in containers
- Feeding
- A general feed before sowing or planting
- Harvest
- About 14 days from sowing
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 3–9
- Difficulty
- Easy
Step by step
- Early April – mid August · 2 weeks before the last spring frost
Sow Seeds
Indoors: sprinkle thickly on damp compost or kitchen paper in a tray. Outdoors: sow thinly in a short drill.
- 2–4 days after “Sow Seeds” · Early April
Check Germination
Seedlings should appear in 2–4 days. If sown outdoors, thin to Sown thickly apart when big enough to handle.
- 14–35 days after “Check Germination” · Mid April – early May
Start Harvesting
Snip with scissors when 5 cm tall.
- 14–28 days after “Start Harvesting” · Early May – mid May
Sow Another Batch (optional)
Sow a new tray or pot every week.
- 14–44 days after “Sow Another Batch” · Mid May – mid June
Finish and Clear
Clear the remains to the compost heap once cropping ends.
