Gardening with Gardiners: Growing Cress from Seed

Growing your own at home has become really popular especially in the last year where we have stayed at home a lot more. We are frequently asked how to involve children in growing your own and what is easy for them to grow. Here's a great idea for growing that is both easy to do, takes up little space and can be done on a sunny window sill. 

Growing Cress

What You Will Need

• A container for growing in. I used an old carton from the recycling but a small plant pot will suffice.
• Cress seeds
• Compost or tissue paper

How to Sow Cress Seeds

1. Fill the container with either moist compost or slightly damp kitchen roll.

2. Spread the seeds thickly over the compost/kitchen roll. You do not need to cover the seeds with anything. 

3. Put a piece of paper over the top of the container until seeds start to germinate then remove.

4. Keep compost moist without overwatering. 

5. Sowing to harvest time approximately 14 days, however we found this much quicker when it was really warm.

6. Harvest the cress when it is 5cm high. 

Our Results

Last year in the first lockdown I grew some cress with my son Harry who was 2 at the time. Here are our results:

Day 1 - The seeds are sown.

Day 4 - The seeds have started to germinate

Day 6 - The cress is thickening up

Day 8 - Most of the cress has come through and is ready to be harvested

For all your gardening needs, visit our Cirencester Store at 68-72 Dyer Street, Cirencester.