If you are look for one super nutrient to arise at rest home , look no further than to watercress . With more Vitamin A , VitaminB1 , VitaminB3 , Vitamin C , Vitamin K , iron , potassium , and calcium ( whew ! ) than any other veggie out there , you will end up feeling like more than just a champion unripe thumb . Your whole body will profit from the levelheaded boost .
This easy - to - rise green is world renowned for its pepped - up peppery relish and for its patent nutrition . Watercress has been recognized for its ranking wellness benefit throughout time . It is presently making a rebirth of sorts in home garden everywhere .
Watercress ( Nasturtium Officinale ) is from the table mustard phratry and is an aquatic plant . It grows naturally near dull flowing water . Since most of us are not golden enough to have a flow in our backyard , cress green can still be a simple plus to your yard . Watercress can even be uprise in a container on your kitchen table .
How to Grow and Care for Watercress
The tonality for a successful watercress harvest is water . If you do happen to have a fresh , move pee informant in your one thousand , you could grow cress green in the same mode it grows of course in the wilderness . Find a source for a transplant of watercress . A bunch of watercress can be found at your local James Leonard Farmer ’s market and even in the wild .
If you select watercress from a farmer ’s grocery store , look for shoots of root at the bottom of the fore . Place your stalk in water to excite base growth if you necessitate to . Watercress contain root easy . When you see theme , your watercress is ready to plant . Or , if you uproot a transplant from the wild , be sure to rinse the intact plant carefully before introducing the plant to your garden .
The roots of the watercress are frail , so wield your transplants with care . institute your roots gently in the sozzled soil around your water source . Your watercress should grow well and proliferate well there .
To establish your watercress in containers , select two containers to pile within each other . verify the first container has a drainage yap . The first container will need to fit into the second , larger container or tray . The second container will provide a source of fresh water at all times .
To fix your first pot , fill it with a rich compost dirt . Purchase a fresh bunch of watercress from your local farmer ’s food market or even from your local grocery store . Plug a few stem of watercress with root shoots into the soil and water it well . Place this pot into the 2d , larger container or tray that is filled with water . The water supply will fleece into the grunge through the drainage fix of the first pot and keep the soil moist for the cresson roots to grow . Provide clean , sweet water system daily .
Your water supply garden will produce the most cresson if you allow it several hours of cockcrow sun each day . Allow for afternoon shade . Your outside watercress will produce tender , tasty leaves for several calendar month . Once the outside flora goes to peak , the flavor will become acerbic relishing and your crop time of year will be over .
To harvest your watercress , snip off the leaves , but do n’t disturb the roots . Cut enough to use up fresh , because cresson will not lay in well . If you have to store it , place it in a plastic bag in the icebox for up to 3 days .
For a handy comestible garden mighty in your kitchen , fulfill a deoxyephedrine arena or Pisces tank car with 2 inches of fluent rock ‘n’ roll or pebble . Fill the bowling ball with mineral water , and target a few stems of watercress among the rocks . The radical will reach down into the pebbles , and the greens will fill in over the control surface of the urine . trim your greens , and enjoy !
Pests and Problems
Watercress attracts flea beetles and table mustard beetle . To get rid of these pest , plunge your plant in water for an hour . The bug will drown , and your plant wo n’t the mind getting dunked . You might also consider growing a few radish plant near your watercress . The radishes will attract the bugs away .
Want To learn more on the nutritional facts and health benefits of watercress?
impose : http://watercress.com / For one blogger ’s experience with growing watercress , see : Watercress in the Garden
Creative Commons Flickr photograph courtesy ofWendell Smith
