How to Grow Watercress
Watercress At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Vegetable
Sun Exposure
Partial Shade
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -7°C
Plant Family
Brassicaceae
Growing Season
Cool Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Watercress handles light frost, so sow it about 2 weeks before your last spring frost. Fill a pot with compost-rich soil, stand it in a saucer of water so it stays soaked, and sprinkle the tiny seeds on top, pressing them in without covering them (no more than 0.2 cm deep), since they need light. They sprout in 7 to 14 days: thin to about 15 cm apart. Keep the saucer topped up with fresh water.
Watercress is a peppery perennial green that must never dry out, which makes a pot standing in water the easy way to grow it. It is hardy and comes back each spring, but turns hot and tough once it flowers in summer heat. Never pick wild watercress from streams or ditches, since the water may carry parasites; homegrown in clean water is safe.
When To Start
Watercress likes cool weather. Sow it in early spring, as soon as the ground can be worked.
We do not have exact sowing dates for this one yet.
When should you plant Watercress?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Watercress Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Watercress Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Sow watercress on wet soil in a pot standing in water
2 weeks before your last frost· every year
Plant rooted watercress sprigs in a pot standing in water
Around your last frost· optional
Snip watercress tips often to keep it tender
45 days after your last frost· every year
Did you water your watercress seedlings today? Keep the top of the soil damp until they are up and growing.
About 1 days after you plant it
Time to thin the watercress seedlings: snip the extras at soil level so each one has room to grow.
About 24 days after you plant it
Your watercress is growing! Keep the saucer topped up with water every day.
About 31 days after you plant it
Hi there! Snip the leafy watercress tips often to keep it tender.
About 47 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your watercress.
About 50 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Watercress's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
0.2 cm
Seeding Depth
15 cm
Plant Spacing
20 cm
Row Spacing
9
Plants / Sq Ft
Vertical Growing
No.
Succession Planting
No.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 7–14 days
Growing Tips
- 1Give watercress morning sun and afternoon shade, since hot sun makes it flower and turn tough.
- 2Use rich soil with plenty of compost, in a pot with drainage holes standing in a saucer or tray.
- 3Keep water in the saucer at all times and replace it with fresh water every couple of days so it does not go stale.
- 4Water with compost tea every 2 weeks, since frequent cutting uses up the food in the pot.
- 5Pinch the tips often to keep the plants bushy, and pinch off flower buds as soon as they show.
- 6Rinse off aphids with a spray of water, and pick off any slugs and snails by hand.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~50
Days to Maturity
20 cm
Mature Height
30 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
120 days
When to Pick
Snip leafy tips anytime once growing; keep it cut to stay tender
How to Harvest
- 1Start cutting about 50 days after sowing, once the stems are 10 to 15 cm long.
- 2Snip the top 5 to 8 cm of each stem with scissors, just above a leaf.
- 3Cut often, since regular cutting keeps new tender shoots coming and slows flowering.
- 4Rinse it well in cold water before eating, and enjoy it raw in salads and sandwiches or stirred into soup.
- 5Keep the stems in a glass of water in the fridge, or wrapped in a damp towel, for a few days.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Watercress flowers mostly pollinate themselves, so the seeds come true. Let a few plants flower in summer, and leave the thin pods until they turn tan and dry. Snip the stems into a paper bag and let them finish drying for a week, then crush the pods to free the tiny seeds. Store them labelled in a cool, dark, dry place, where they keep a few years.
Seed Production
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