edenhana

Watercress

A perennial salad green that genuinely wants to sit in water, not just moist soil: grow it in a pot standing inside a larger watertight container kept topped up, or in a bucket or trough with the water changed weekly and a splash of liquid fertiliser added. Grown this way the leaves stay milder and less bitter than watercress raised in ordinary garden soil. Sow in spring or autumn, since plants run to seed quickly in the heat of summer, and start a new batch every 3-4 weeks for a steady supply. Skip wild-gathered watercress from streams and drains: it can carry contamination from livestock-grazed waterways, including liver fluke, which home-grown watercress in a clean container avoids entirely.

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Sun
partial sun
Water
high
Spacing
15cm
Difficulty
intermediate
Grows in
Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago, Invercargill / Southland
Expected yield
Cut-and-come-again leaves every 3-4 weeks

When to plant by region

In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson and Tasman: March-April and September-October. In Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago and Invercargill / Southland: September-October.

Growing stages

  1. Sowing & propagationSpring or autumn

    • Seed germinates in 8-10 days; alternatively, stand stalks from a supermarket-bought bunch in a jar of water and transplant once fine roots appear
    • Avoid sowing in the heat of summer, when plants bolt to seed quickly

  2. Establishment

    • Stand the pot in a larger watertight container kept topped up with water, or grow directly in a bucket or trough
    • Change the water weekly if growing in a bucket or trough, and add a liquid fertiliser such as liquid compost to keep growth strong

  3. Ongoing growth & harvestCut-and-come-again, every 3-4 weeks for a new batch

    • Harvest by cutting with scissors above ground level, which encourages more leafy regrowth
    • Sow a new batch every 3-4 weeks to keep a continuous supply going through the cooler months
    • Don't substitute wild-gathered stream watercress; home-grown in a clean container avoids the contamination risk that comes with watercress picked from livestock-grazed waterways

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