You don’t need a garden to plant cress: the popular herb also thrives on the windowsill. We tell you what you have to consider.
Cress: Tasty, healthy and undemanding
Cress spices up soups, salads and sandwiches. Not only does it taste spicy, the cruciferous plant is also healthy. Cress contains vitamin C, folic acid and iron.
The undemanding herb grows almost everywhere because it only needs water and light. Cress likes it warm and bright, but you should avoid direct sunlight. Temperatures between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius are ideal. Therefore, you can grow her indoors all year round and outdoors between May and September. The first cress sprouts can be seen after four days, after eight to twelve days you can harvest cress. To do this, carefully cut off the herb with scissors.
We’ll tell you the best way to grow cress on your windowsill at home. There are two methods for this: either with soil or cotton wool.
Plant cress in soil
With the zero-waste method, you plant your cress in soil. Anything left over after harvesting can go to the compost.
Rinse the container in which you want to sow the watercress thoroughly. This can be a small flower pot, a glass or a flat bowl.
Add fine garden soil. You should fill the pot with soil so high that the cress gets enough light.
Thoroughly moisten the soil.
Sow the cress evenly and carefully press down the seeds.
During the germination period you have to make sure that the soil stays moist. Pour off excess water carefully, otherwise there is a risk of mold.
Plant cress on cotton
Since cress lives on the nutrient depot of the seed for the first few days, you can even sow it on cotton. The whole thing works with any cotton – even with the make-up remover. It is important that the cotton wool is made of organic cotton.
Put the cotton in a bowl of water until it’s soaked.
Then gently squeeze out the wet cotton wool.
Lay the cotton out generously in a container. As with the earth method, this can be a flower pot or a glass, but also eggshells.
Distribute the cress seeds generously. There should be no “seed heaps” forming.
The seeds remain uncovered because they would not get enough light through the thick layer of cotton wool.
You can keep the cotton wet with a water sprayer. Just don’t overdo it.
Nevertheless, it is worth considering whether you can simply plant your cress in soil. This way you avoid waste and save money.
Tip: Cress is a delicious, edible decoration for Easter.
