This is the most ‘Powerhouse’ plant food you can grow.
Watercress is the #1 Powerhouse plant food on The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA) ranking of Powerhouse plant foods. Its snappy, peppery leaves add a kick to your salad, sandwich, soup, potato dishes and pesto. You know you are doing your body good when you eat watercress as it is loaded with vitamins and nutrients. The Watercress Company (UK) reports that:
“Watercress is rich in vitamin A (from beta-carotene) and vitamin C, and is a source of folate, calcium, iron and vitamin E. It also contains useful amounts of vitamin K, thiamin, vitamin B6, potassium and iodine.”
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How to Plant: Watercress is easy to grow. Grow it in partial shade or shade. We recommend growing it in a 5 gallon container, such as a black plastic nursery pot (or any 5 gallon pot that has about a 12 inch width) and place a saucer underneath. How to Sow Watercress Seeds: (1) Sprinkle your seed package on the surface of the 5 gallon container. The amount of seed in the pack is enough to densely seed the surface of a 5 gallon pot. (2) Press in seeds and cover lightly with soil. Water seeds. (3) Place a saucer under the container, and keep a little bit of water in the saucer, this helps keep the soil consistently moist. Make sure the saucer (and soil) does not dry out. If you keep your container in a shady place, you should be able to go two days or so without having to water.
Apparently watercress grows great in hydroponic gardens, although we haven’t tried it ourselves.
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How to Harvest: Snip off stems and leaves when plants are 4 to 12 inches tall. Harvest before the plant begins to flower. Pinch off flowers when they appear. The leaves of younger plants will be less peppery than older plants.
