Care Of Watercress

Choose an area to plant on a bank of a stream or pond. The area needs to be somewhat flat and must flood or run with water, but not totally cover the plants. Add 4 to 6 inches of compost dug in to the soil 8 inches while water is low.

Plant seeds in clay pots filled with potting soil, just below the surface of the soil. Sink the pots in the bank so they sit higher than the water level. Planting them directly on the bank allows most of the seeds to become dislodged and go downstream.

Transplant seedlings from the pots once they are a few inches high. Just remove gently from the pot, dig a hole in the soil that accommodates the roots at the same level they were in the pot, fill with soil and firm well into the waterway bank. Space them 6 to 8 inches apart.

Pull and discard weeds around the plants, keeping the area as clean as possible.

Harvest watercress when the leaves become the size of a dime and before the plant flowers. Cut to 4 inches tall so it will grow again to harvest in the fall. Wash the plant material well to ensure no microscopic parasites from the waterway are present when consumed.

Store bunches of watercress in plastic bags in the refrigerator up to a week.