Watercress

WATERCRESS

There are lots of ways to enjoy the crisp, succulent, peppery leaves of watercress.

I like the bite they add to a fresh salad, but they’re equally delicious wilted in soups, sauces and casseroles.

This semi-aquatic plant thrives on the edge of streams and waterways (often growing too well and becoming weedy), but you don’t need a stream in your backyard to grow it. Watercress can easily be raised in a container on a balcony or in a courtyard.

You don’t even need seeds or seedlings to get started – just pick up a bunch from your local greengrocer. Many greengrocers stock watercress at this time of year, and it usually comes in plastic sleeves with an established root system attached. Like any warm-blooded gardening type would do, you can snip off the tops for the kitchen (no more than about a third) and plant the base. If the bunch you buy has no roots, no problem. Just drop the hollow stems into a dish of water. They will float, then start shooting roots in less than a week. If you can’t lay your hands on fresh watercress, look for a packet of seed at your garden centre. Seed germinates readily.

Watercress isn’t fussy about the growing medium. A regular potting mix will do, or you can use a 50:50 blend of coir peat and perlite. Small containers, 100–150mm across, are good for getting started. The easiest way to mimic the constantly moist conditions that watercress demands is to sit your pot in a larger, sealed container filled with enough water to cover the drainage holes. The water needs to be kept fresh, so replace it every

2–3 days. Place your plants in a position with full sun to semi-shade. They don’t demand a lot nutritionally, but you can help to kick them along with a fortnightly dose of liquid fertiliser mixed at quarter strength. Use sharp scissors to harvest the stems, and do this regularly to encourage plenty of tender new shoots.